Ace in the Hole
by HughSoSexy
Summary: Set after Killer App. Gillian starts dating someone, and Cal doesn't like it. Foolishness, fights, and crazy times abound. The title will make sense later.
1. All In A Day's Work

A/N: Set several weeks after Killer App.

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><p>Walking into The Lightman Group, Cal's ear perked at the sound of giggling.<p>

_Giggling? Yes, definitely giggling…from Gillian's office?_, he wondered to himself.

Intrigued, Cal headed in the direction of the seemingly out of place laughter. Approaching her office, he saw Gillian typing something on her computer with a completely delighted smile on her face.

"What's so amusin'?" he asked as he sat across from her.

"Hmm?" she asked as she looked up at him, trying to stifle a smile. "Oh, it's nothing."

Cal narrowed his eyes. "Nothin' doesn't make you smile like that," he said as he pointed at her. "Out with it."

"It's personal, Cal," was her only response.

He took a moment to consider respecting her need for privacy, and then he quickly jumped from his chair and rushed around her desk in time to see an instant message box being closed on her screen.

Spinning in her chair to face him, Gillian crossed her arms over her chest and simply looked up at him.

"Really, Cal? Personal means it's meant only for me," she replied, only half surprised at his actions.

Another message popped up on her screen.

**Mark:**_ See you at 6. Can't wait to see you._

"Mark, huh?" Cal asked, his blood turning to ice. He could feel his heart rate increasing, both anger and fear rushing through his veins. After Claire, he found himself needing to be around Gillian more than usual, or maybe it was a want. Either way, he found it increasingly difficult to maintain his distance from her, to keep his hands to himself. He'd been keeping his distance because he thought she was still grieving. He'd made himself available to her, like he always was; but he went out of his way to make sure she was alright, to give her an extra hug, to be less of a bastard than usual. And now it seemed he'd waited too long. She'd found someone else. He swallowed at the thought of having lost her to another man.

Turning around in her chair, Gillian looked at her screen and sighed. _So much for keeping this personal._ "Yes, Mark."

Cal raised his eyebrows in silent thought and left her office without another word, leaving Gillian looking after him and wondering about his sudden, silent exit. Several people attempted to talk to him on the way to his office. He couldn't tell you who though, he was too focused on getting to his office without punching something or verbally accosting someone. He tried to hold it in, for her, because she deserved that much after what she'd been through.

Images of a blood-covered Gillian entered his mind. The blood of someone she had cared about soaking her clothes and turning the flesh of her hands deep red. He swallowed at the memory of her sitting in the police station, bravely telling the story of what had happened, refusing to cry as lone tears streaked her face.

He pulled his hands across his face, no longer wanting to think of her in that moment, so broken and vulnerable. He moved to his couch and sank deeply into it, hoping it would swallow him whole.

Truth be told, he was having trouble distinguishing exactly what he was feeling. Anger at himself for waiting too long? Sadness that she still couldn't see he cared for her? Remorse for having any negative reaction to her trying to find happiness? Regret at all the lost time? The only thing he did know was that whatever he was feeling was paralyzing. Normally he'd run off somewhere and drink himself silly so he could forget. This time, however, he could hardly move.

Somewhere beyond the walls of his office, he heard it again. Giggling. _Bloody fuckin' gigglin'._

Then, a new emotion shot through every raw nerve ending in his body: pure jealousy.

He wanted to be the one to elicit that giggle from her and cause a euphoric smile to grace her lips. He wanted to be the one to make her happy. He wanted to be the one to take her to dinner, be the one she got dressed up for, be the one she went home to at night.

Self-pity wasn't going to accomplish anything, though. So he pushed himself up from the couch and headed toward the giggling once again. It was coming from the kitchen, and as he approached, he noticed it was headed toward him. As he opened the door to walk in, Gillian was headed out, looking at her iPhone with a sweet smile on her face. Glancing up, she saw Cal holding the door open and her smile slightly faded. Swallowing, Cal held the door open with one hand and indicated with the other for her to walk out.

Feeling a little surprised, Gillian gave him a small smile before looking down at her phone once again. She said a quick but grateful, "Thank you," as she walked past.

Cal half rolled his eyes and allowed the door to close without entering. He did a 180 to see her walking down the hall back toward her office. Having no reason to follow her there, he simply returned to his office, more jealous than before.

A second later and just missing each other, Gillian stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at Cal. She saw him walking toward his office with his head hung low as he squeezed the back of his neck with a hand, the other balled up in a fist. She pushed away an uncomfortable feeling from within as she felt a wave of uneasiness rise in her chest.

Dropping her hand with her phone to her side, she looked around to find herself alone in the hallway. Biting the inside of her cheek, she headed back to her office while trying to figure out the odd interaction she'd just had with Cal.

###############

Later that afternoon and after several failed attempts at finding a reason to enter Gillian's office, Cal opted for coffee. He went down the street to the coffeehouse on the corner and ordered her favorite – tall, nonfat, caramel macchiato.

As he approached her office, he was pleased to see no coffee cups on her desk and Gillian looking as though she could use a pick-me-up.

"Caramel macchiato?" he asked, standing in the doorway.

Gillian looked up with a wide smile and said, "Yes, please!"

Cal walked in, handed her the cup and said, "Here you are."

"Coffee from the kitchen would have been good enough, but thank you." She leaned back in her chair, wondering what made him go out of his way to get her favorite drink when he usually opted for tea in the afternoon. Taking a sip of her beverage, and closing her eyes at the warmth as she wrapped her fingers around the cup, she asked, "Did you decide you wanted coffee this afternoon?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he replied, "You haven't gone out for coffee in a while. Figured you might want your favorite."

She smiled sweetly at him, loving that he knew these little details about her. She licked her lips and said, "Well thank you. That was very thoughtful."

Nodding at her, he got up from the chair and headed for the door.

"Oh, Cal!" she called after him.

"Yeah, love?" he asked expectantly.

"Here's that file you wanted," she said as she held out the folder to him.

"Thanks," he said, taking the folder from her as disappointment spread from his chest. He heaved a sigh once he was in the hallway, and wondered what else he could pull out of his bag of subtle tricks.

Watching him leave, Gillian bit her lip at his tone of voice and looked sadly at her coffee. She ran a hand through her hair and turned back to her computer, hoping she could find something to distract her through the end of the day.

###############

At 5 o'clock, Cal found himself in the lab with Gillian, Eli, and Ria. He had yet to find another reason to wander into Gillian's office, so he was happy when a late case came in. It seemed pretty open and shut, but it gave him a reason to be in the same room with her, at least long enough to tell Eli and Ria to do their jobs because this case seemed as simple as tying your shoes, unless you were three, which Eli sometimes acted like.

While the other two went over video footage, Cal walked over to where Gillian was standing.

"What'er you wearin' tonight?" he asked casually.

Gillian shot him an annoyed look and shook her head.

"Hmm, can't say I know that outfit," he quipped.

She chuckled and pursed her lips in an effort to hide a smile.

Looking at her sideways, Cal smiled. Refocusing his eyes on the screen where the video was playing, he said, "You should wear that blue dress you wore to work a couple a weeks ago, if he hasn't seen you in it."

Gillian furrowed her brow and turned her head to look at him, question written all over her face.

Momentarily looking at her from the corner of his eye before looking forward again, he said, "The one with the criss-cross thing. Brings out your eyes."

She straightened her posture as surprise registered on her features.

"Not to mention the way it compliments your body. Pretty hard to miss if you've got a pulse." He finally looked in her shocked eyes and added, "Just a suggestion." He walked across the room, leaving Gillian standing alone, wondering what to make of what he'd just said.

_My eyes, and my body?_ Her heart skipped thinking about him noticing her like that. Yes, he often times looked her up and down, but this seemed different. He remembered a specific dress of hers that she'd worn two weeks ago!

Curious, she walked over to him and quietly asked in his ear, "What shoes should I wear?"

###############

Ria looked over at her bosses from her spot in front of the screen and pulled her lips into small 'o' shape as she watched Gillian step incredibly close to Cal and whisper something in his ear. She kicked Eli under the desk, earning a yelp and a, "Hey!" from him. She quickly shushed him and pointed toward their bosses.

Eli turned around just enough to see Gillian stepping away from Cal with a question resonating in her eyes. Eli narrowed his eyes and looked back at Ria. She shrugged at him, and they both turned back to see a self-satisfied smile spread across Cal's face before he stepped back from Gillian. His eyes dropped, seemingly, to the floor. The two protégés again looked at one another and watched an exchange they couldn't hear.

###############

At Gillian's question, Cal stepped back from her and examined the shoes she was wearing. "You have a pair like this that are black, yeah? A little bit taller with a strap around the back?"

Gillian's eyes went wide. "Yes, I do."

"Wear those. Killer on your calves," he said as he stepped into her once again, hunger rising in his eyes. As soon as he did, he noticed they were being watched.

"You crack this case yet?" he asked, still standing very near the shocked Gillian.

"The guy's a liar," Ria said with a knowing smile. "He's been embezzling from his company for years."

"Right you are, Torres!" he said. Turning his head back to Gillian he quietly added, "I suppose you've got a date to get ready for."

Gillian parted her lips as if to say something, but Cal quickly walked away before she had the opportunity.

"What was that about?" Ria asked.

Staring after Cal, Gillian truthfully said, "I have no idea."

Ria looked at Eli with a "yeah right" look and shook her head.

"What _was_ that about?" Eli asked Ria after Gillian left the room.

"Seriously?" Ria asked back.

"Typical 'Lightman wants Foster but won't admit it' stuff?" he queried.

"And 'Foster wants Lightman but she's too blind to see he wants her' stuff," Ria said, organizing a couple files and heading for the door.

"Ah," Eli said, turning off the lights in the room as they walked out. "All in a day's work."

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><p>More to follow in a few days!<p> 


	2. Glow & Blow

A/N: There's a bit of swearing in this chapter. No apologies, just a warning.

Thank you to starlight354, sash queen of the jungle, LightWoman, VictoryShallBeMine, nikkidog, & lietomebaby for reviewing. : D

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><p>Cal was on edge the next morning when he walked in the office. He didn't even want to think about what may have gone on last night while Gillian was on her date. All night he'd kicked himself for putting together a sexy outfit for her to wear for some other guy. If this Mark had any brains, Cal knew exactly how the night ended – nothing short of a steamy good-night kiss, at the very least.<p>

Walking down the hallway, Cal noticed Gillian headed toward him, her nose buried in a file. She looked up with a perplexed look on her face, as if she'd just read something that made no sense. Seeing Cal approaching her, she gave him a wide smile that easily reached her eyes and she cheerfully said, "Good morning!"

_Bloody brilliant. She's glowing_, he thought. "Mornin'. How was your evenin'?"

"Very good! Thank you for the outfit suggestion. You were right – those shoes are amazing with that dress," she said as she gave him a knowing smile. It faded after a moment of seeing that he was just staring at her, and she asked, "Is everything alright, Cal?"

"Oh yeah. Quite alright," he replied with a face that seemed like it was attempting to be overly convincing.

She turned the file over in her hands as she slowly nodded at him and said with a chuckle, "Ok. I'm going to my office." She walked around him and headed down the hall, wondering what was with the over-the-top act.

Cal ran a hand down his face and turned to watch her walk away. Her hips swayed more than usual, her steps were lighter, and she was fucking glowing. He'd pushed her right into the bed with another man. He clenched his jaw and his fists and headed off to find some solace.

###############

The entire morning, not a single thing Gillian did convinced Cal that he was wrong about how her date had ended. It was possible, of course, but he knew a thing or two about how women acted after a good shag.

He found himself clenching his fists, staring at her, and doing a lot of nothing but stewing. When he saw her headed out for lunch, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Did you sleep with him?" he asked as casually as possibly and seemingly out of the blue. The thought alone made his stomach churn.

"Excuse me?" she asked back, baffled by his boldness.

"Easy question, Gil," he said lightly. "Did. You. Sleep. With him?" He punctuated each section of his question.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Gillian replied, thoroughly offended at his brash question. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be late for lunch."

"With him?" he asked as she started to walk away again, irritation creeping into his voice.

Turning around, she stared him down and said, "Yes, Cal. With him." Looking at him a moment longer, she could see the jealousy burning behind his eyes. She wanted to know why it mattered to him. She, of course, had a guess, but now wasn't the time to ask about it. Not when the ever-handsome Mark with his jet black hair and clear blue eyes was waiting for her just a block away. As she turned to leave, he spoke yet again.

Sighing audibly at his interruption, she turned around one last time as he spoke.

"Is it serious?" he asked, trying to sound as unaffected as possible, "Because you hardly know this plonker."

She detected a bit of sadness in his words. "How in the world are you supposed to get to know someone if you don't spend time with them, Cal? I'll never know if he's a 'plonker'," she said, putting air quotes around the word, "if I don't get to know him. And again, it is none of your business."

"But you've seen him several times," he said, dreading the answer.

"Lunch will be our third date," she said pointedly. "Now I am leaving, and if you say anything else I'm just going to ignore you."

He knew she wasn't bluffing so he didn't even bother saying anything else. He just watched her magnificent form retreat from the office as dejection swelled within him.

###############

Later that afternoon, Gillian heard a light knock at her door and looked up to see Mark's tall form standing in her doorway.

"Hi!" she happily chirped as she stood and walked half way around her desk. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to say good-bye one last time before I headed out of town for my meeting." Moving closer to her he quietly added, "I'll miss you while I'm gone."

Smiling sweetly and looking up at him, she finished closing the gap between them and said, "Me too."

He brushed her hair over her shoulder and wrapped his hand around the side of her neck, gently pulling her to him as he leaned down to her and pressed their lips together, wrapping his other arm around her waist.

When he let her go, she bit her lip as she smiled up at him and said, "I can't wait for you to get back."

He didn't have to be a face-reader to interpret that statement. Unspoken promises of time spent alone were dripping from her words. "Me neither. I better get going or I'll miss my flight. I'll see you in a few days."

"Ok," she said with a euphoric smile on her lips. "I'll see you soon."

Turning to leave, Mark was met with a menacing pair of eyes glaring at him. "You must be Cal Lightman," he said as he extended his hand to Cal.

Cal simply continued to glare at him, and tipped his head to the side. He looked down at Mark's extended hand and said, "Don't wanna miss your flight, mate."

Gillian's face fell and she grew annoyed as she started to wonder how long he'd been standing there. Had he heard their whole conversation? Seen them kiss?

Mark lowered his hand, and walked back to Gillian, giving her a kiss on the cheek combined with a possessive hand on her hip before glaring back at Cal. If there was one thing Mark knew, it was that men like Cal Lightman were bastards; and judging by the way Cal was looking at him, Mark could only assume he was going to be a real pain in the ass. After glaring back at Cal for a moment, Mark walked out of the office and hoped that Cal had the brains to stay away from a woman that was obviously spoken for.

After Mark had left, Gillian walked over to her desk to sit down, refusing to make the situation about Cal. It was about her and her happiness and she absolutely refused to let him ruin this for her.

Cal watched her move to her chair as fire ran through his veins, insolent anger emitting from his entire form. He had finally admitted out loud to someone that he loved her, and then Gillian went and found a boyfriend, and he felt helpless to stop it. No holding doors or coffee or telling her in a roundabout way that she's sexy was going to fix this.

He turned to leave her office without a single word spoken to her, his swagger deep in his steps as he made his way back to his office. He felt dead inside, and he thought someone might as well come along and cut his heart from his chest.

Seeing that bastard's hands wrapped around her neck and waist as she melted into him made something snap inside Cal, and he couldn't get the image out of his head. He was so fucking desperate to stop the image from flashing in his mind, and even more fucking desperate for his heart to stop aching. Why did his chest feel so very empty and full at the same damn time?

He quickly grabbed his keys, knowing exactly how to make everything go away.

Gillian watched him peel out of the parking structure from the window in her office. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, wondering why every time she got close to being happy, he had to spiral out of control. Still refusing to make it about Cal, she decided to go home and not think about him again until the next day when she would have to see him.

###############

Cal showed up to the office the next day looking disheveled, wearing the same clothes from the day before, and smelling of stale alcohol. He wandered down the halls headed toward the lab, knowing there would be people there. He didn't really care who. He just wanted an audience, and he knew word would get back to Gillian quickly if she wasn't there. As luck would have it though, she was.

Eli, Ria, and Gillian all turned around when they heard the door open.

"Holy shit," Ria muttered under her breath at Cal's appearance.

"What's that?" he asked through hooded eyes. These were the first words he'd spoken that morning and he soon found he was very, very hung over.

No one could tell if he was responding to Ria's statement, or if he actually hadn't heard her, and they all looked at each other confused.

"What is going on?" Gillian asked, anger in her voice.

"Oooohhhhh," Cal said mockingly. "Look out! Dr. Foster's in a mood today!"

Pulling him by his elbow so they were away from the other two she said, "Did you even go home last night? You're wearing the same clothes."

"Well aren't you observant. And no, I didn't go home," he said as he leaned into her.

She leaned back as the smell of alcohol rolling off his breath hit her like a wall. "Go home, Cal. Take a shower, change your clothes, and go to sleep."

Suddenly, he pressed himself against her as he wrapped an arm around her waist and said, "Only if you come with me."

"Cal!" she scolded him, as she placed her hands on his shoulders to push him away. She could feel every single inch of him against her, along with two pair of eyes locked on them. "Let go of me, and get out of here. Now!"

"Cock tease," he sputtered as he walked away, his arms casually swinging by his sides.

"Excuse me?" she fumed, spinning around to face him. "Loker, Torres – get out!" she yelled, her face becoming increasingly red. They both scrambled from their chairs as fast as possible and exited the room, letting the interns heading toward the door know now wasn't a good time.

"What is wrong with you?" Gillian spat at Cal as he sank down into a chair, his head lolling backward as he felt his hangover hit him again.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked, his words slurring over each other. "Currently, I've got an amazin' hangover. What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?" He tipped his head forward, looking at her angrily from the top of his eyes.

She walked over to him and slapped him across the face. "Did that help sober you up?"

He widened his eyes and quickly shook his head a couple times, not to say no to her but to try to shake off the sting.

"You press yourself up against me, call me a cock tease, and then swear at me? How dare you! What is wrong with _me_? You, Cal. _You_ are what's wrong with me," she said as she poked him in the chest. "Get out of here. I don't want to see you for the rest of the day. In fact don't bother coming back at all until you're sober, however long that takes."

"My name's on the door, Gil," he easily reminded her with a wave of his hand.

"You know, I'm really tired of that excuse. Half of this place is _mine_. Don't you forget that. I could not possibly care less whose name is on the door. You look like shit and your brains are scrambled. When you can think straight and you don't smell like a sleezy bar, you can come back. Until then, stay away." She started to walk away and then added, "And if you _ever_ grab me like that again I'll knee you between the legs so hard you won't be able to breathe for a week."

Gillian stormed out of the lab, walking past Eli and Ria without an acknowledgement. Upon entering her office, she slammed the door behind her, causing the two to look at each other and slink off to the kitchen to wait for things to cool down.

Cal heard the door slam and he smirked to himself. He didn't know why, but it always made him feel a little better to make Gillian really angry when he felt bad. Maybe better wasn't the word for it… It made him feel less alone. At this realization, the smirk left his face. He managed to stand up from his chair and look around a moment, remembering for the billionth time that his business – _their _business – would have tanked years ago if it weren't for her. Knowing Gillian was right about him going home, he staggered down to the street where he called a cab to take him home.

###############

Gillian was pacing in her office, absolutely fuming as her mind went over what had happened. Of all the things Cal had done, he'd never done something like that before, and certainly not in such a vulgar way. Between the smell rolling off him and the way he grabbed her, she felt like she needed a shower. Seeing that it was only 9am, she grabbed some hand sanitizer, rubbed it in her hands and once they were dry smoothed down her clothes.

Knowing exactly where Eli and Ria would be, she entered the kitchen and said with warning, "Not a word. Get back to work."

They shuffled past her, and once they both left she headed back to barricade herself in her office for the rest of the day.

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><p>Again, more in a few days!<p> 


	3. Crash

A/N: Thank you for humoring in the last chapter. I'm not sold on my own idea of Cal doing that to Gillian, but it worked for my story and I didn't think it was so far outside the realm of possibility that it called for an AU warning.

And just for the record - Disclaimer: I don't own Lie To Me.

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><p>Cal had sobered up a lot since leaving the office several hours ago. He'd taken a nap and a cold shower, and eaten a decent meal. Now it was mid-afternoon and he was sulking on the couch in the den, wondering how he'd allowed himself to go so far that he'd basically assaulted Gillian, the one person in the world he loved more than anything and anyone else aside from this daughter.<p>

"What's wrong?" Emily asked the moment she saw Cal, dread lacing her tone.

He looked up at her and shook his head. "It's nothin'," he said, the surprise at her being home not registering in his voice. He hadn't realized it was that late in the day.

She raised her eyebrows and said, "I don't believe you. Spill." She dropped her bag on the floor and walked over to him, pushing his legs off the couch so she could sit next to him. She tucked one leg under herself as she sat facing him. She raised her eyebrows again and extended her neck in an indication that she was waiting on a response.

"She's got a boyfriend," he said simply, looking down at the floor and feeling it was wrong to be dumping his relationship problems on his teenage daughter. He brought a hand to his forehead and massaged it, trying to dissipate the tension building there.

Emily's blood ran cold and she swallowed. "Gillian?" she asked gently.

He nodded once.

She inhaled and slowly let the breath back out. "How long has she been seeing him?"

"Couple a weeks, maybe," he replied without looking up from the floor. He really wanted to stop talking about it, to deflect, but he couldn't even tear his eyes from the floor. Forget about being quick on his toes in a conversation. He knew Emily would pin him down in three seconds flat. And that only half bothered him. If he really wanted to, he knew he could end this conversation; but something inside him wouldn't allow that. He needed any outlet of some kind, and alcohol had made this mess so he certainly wasn't going to look in a bottle. So he let the inquiries continue.

Emily was frightened to ask the next question, but it couldn't go unasked: "Is it serious?"

Cal's face was like a stone as he answered her. "I dunno. I asked but she didn't answer."

She pulled her mouth to one side, considering what to say next. "Well, at least it's just a boyfriend. She's not engaged or married."

He sat silently, still never taking his eyes off the floor. Emily's heart broke for him. She really hated to see her dad like this.

"Have you told her?" she quietly asked, leaning down to better see his face. She knew no other words were necessary with that question, they both knew she was talking about his confession after Claire.

"No," he replied.

"Dad… You have to tell her. For yourself and because she deserves to know." Emily was gentle but firm.

"I've made a real fool of myself, Em. Buggered up worse than ever before. I wasn't even myself really," he told her as he finally met her eyes. _I was drunk and out of my mind with jealously_, he added to himself.

Her eyes widened ever so slightly at how bloodshot his were.

"So apologize," she said with a shrug as if it were the easiest thing in the world. "She'll forgive you. She always does."

"Maybe not this time, love," he said, believing every word of the statement.

Emily felt a pit grow in her stomach at the look on her dad's face. He looked so lost, so broken and deflated and so very, very sad. She'd never seen him like this before.

"Well, all you can do is try, and if you don't you'll regret it for the rest of your life. How much worse can it get?" she quietly asked.

He had to admit she had a valid point. He couldn't imagine feeling any worse than he did right now. He was numb, he had a permanent frown on his face, and he didn't care about a damn thing. The only thing that could evoke any emotion in him was sitting next to him.

"He's out of town," Cal said out of no where.

"Who is?" Emily asked, knitting her brow together.

"The boyfriend," he said as he looked up at her again.

Emily raised her eyebrows at him, seeing a break in the clouds. "For how long?"

"Couple a days."

"Then you better talk to her before he gets back. The sooner the better," Emily said matter-of-factly. Noticing her father's state, she added, "Change your clothes, shave, and go talk to her." She kissed him on the cheek and got up from the couch.

Cal ran his hand over his face and mechanically got up to follow his daughter's advice.

###############

Cal thought he was completely sober, but apparently he was wrong because he felt himself sober further as he walked up to Gillian's door. He tried to think of what he was going to say, but when nothing came to him he said, "Fuck it," and knocked on the door.

A moment later, Gillian opened the door wearing a pair of purple pajama pants and a black t-shirt. Cal's heart flipped and he swallowed at the sight of her. Despite her being angry, the way she leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed and her hip kicked out to the side was incredibly sexy.

"What do you want?" she asked, clearly still fuming.

"I'd like to talk to you, if that's alright. I won't take up much of your time. I just need a moment, or two." He felt like he was begging, and in part he was. He needed her to hear him out, and it had to be tonight. "Please," he added when she remained quiet.

"Fine," she said as she turned around to re-enter her home, leaving the door open wide so he could let himself in.

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He found some sense of comfort as he looked around him and found no changes – no new pictures or clothing left by the plonker.

He found Gillian facing him with her shoulder leaned against a wall in the living room, not far from her front door.

_Apparently she doesn't want me to make myself at home_, he thought.

"Get on with it," she said, wanting him to hurry up and say what he had to say so she could kick him out.

Raising his eyebrows in both surprise and annoyance he said, "Alright. I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize?" she asked, sounding insulted.

"Yeah. You know – I'm sorry. You were right, I was wrong. Apologize," he said as he gestured with his hands.

Gillian pursed her lips and asked, "Do you really think apologizing is going to make up for what you did today? Do you even recall what you did today?" She squinted her eyes at him, wondering if maybe he was still too drunk when he'd come in to have any recollection of what had happened.

"I know what I did. And I'm sorry." He tried again with the apology.

"Ok, well there's the door. Go ahead and let yourself out." She crossed her arms in front of him, and when he didn't move she widened her eyes and nodded toward the door.

"What do you want from me, Gil?" he half-yelled, offended that she was nearly throwing him out.

"What I want, Cal," she started as she moved past him and opened the door, "is for you to leave. You can_not_ simply show up here and apologize to make things ok. Not this time."

"Well then tell me what to do!" He was beginning to feel a bit desperate, and he didn't want to leave there without their relationship restored.

"You want me to just give you some magic formula to make everything fine?" she asked, irritated that he thought it should be that easy.

"If you've got one," he countered, his eyes wide as he looked over her face. She was mad. Really, really mad.

Taking a deep breath to keep herself from screaming at him, she said, "Go. Now."

Walking toward the door he pointed to the handle and lightly said, "I've got it."

She released the handle and as he walked out he slammed the door behind him with all his strength. Gillian jumped from the loud noise and caught a picture by the door before it could hit the floor. Noting it was one of her and Cal, she thought she should have let it shatter.

Cal stomped down the path to his vehicle, fuming at Gillian's response to his apology. _She knows I'm not any good and makin' peace with people, so why is she makin' it so hard for me this time? Have I really gone that much further than any other time? Maybe she's just tired of dealin' with me in general. Maybe she's lookin' for a way to get me out of her life._ The thought sent a desperate flood of hopelessness through him. He choked down the despair as he put the keys in the ignition and punched the gas.

Gillian was re-hanging the picture on her wall when she heard his tires peel out. She looked out the window in time to see the rear of the car fishtail as he pulled away from the curb. In that instant, she wondered if she was too hard on him. Turning away from the window, she wondered if maybe she should have just let his apology be enough. And then she remembered the vulgar way he pushed himself on her, the way he grabbed her hips and leaned so far into her she thought they'd fall over. The horrible, hung-over smell of him still burned in her nose when she thought about it. She closed her eyes, trying to forget that someone she cared so much about would treat her that way. _What had happened to make him act like that? I've never done anything to deserve that from him, and he's never acted that way before…_

Before she opened her eyes again, she heard something crash. It was loud and her heart began to hammer in her chest. Shattering glass and twisting metal resonated in her ears as a car horn sounded just down her street. A chill ran through her and every hair stood up on end as she frantically reached for her sneakers. She silently said a prayer of thanks that she'd not untied them last time she took them off. She shoved her feet in as quickly as possible and ran out her front door, not bothering to close it behind her. She sprinted down the road as fast as her legs would carry her, and as she neared the crash her eyes started to sting with tears when she recognized one of the vehicles.

"No. God, please no," she said to herself as she came up on the vehicles and saw blood sprayed on the inside of Cal's car. Shaking with adrenaline, Gillian quickly surveyed the scene. No one else was there yet, and she was struggling to get her brain to keep up with what she needed her body to do. She saw that the front end of the second car was pressed into Cal's driver's side door. The other driver's air bag had gone off and he was stirring. Noting that the driver of the second vehicle was at least alive, she ran around to the passenger side of Cal's car.

Finally, one of her neighbors walked outside and she pointed at him saying, "You! Call 9-1-1!" He instantly went back in his home and a moment later he was back outside with a phone to his ear.

She tried to open the door, and when it wouldn't budge she thought maybe it was locked. She leaned down to look inside and saw Cal's blood covering his shirt and much of what was left of the car next to him. She felt herself pale and looked down at the lock – it was up. She started pulling at the door again, but it still wouldn't budge.

"Damn it!" she desperately cried as tears started freely leaking from her eyes. She violently pulled at the handle, and finally put her foot up on the back door for leverage. She got a firm footing and leaned back with all her weight, jerking on the handle until it finally gave way. She fell backward, catching herself as she hit the pavement with her hands. Her brain registered a sharp sting, but she pushed it aside as she scrambled into the vehicle.

"Cal? Cal, can you hear me?" She was on her knees in the seat next to him and she tentatively placed a hand on the far side of his face in an effort to rouse him. Knowing better than to move him incase of a neck injury, she carefully pulled her hand back when he didn't respond. She placed her fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse. She held her breath, not finding it. She inhaled sharply, stuffing down sobs that were desperately trying to find their way out of her throat. She moved her fingers a little, hoping that she was simply not on the right spot.

In the distance, she heard sirens sounding and she gently pulled her hand away from him, looking down to see it covered in crimson. Her mind flashed back to a month before and she breathed a few shaky breaths. Then, she'd called Cal. Who would she call now? Who would be strong for her now?

Crawling closer to him she said, "Don't you dare leave me. I already lost one person, and you saw what that did to me. If I lose you…" she trailed off. Hot tears refused to stop rolling down her cheeks even as she heard someone run up behind her.

"Ma'am. I need you to get out of the car," came a strong voice from behind her.

She scooted back out of the vehicle, looked at the paramedic and said, "I can't find a pulse."

A second paramedic took her by the arm and led her away from the vehicle so the first man had room to work. He could only assume so based on her tear-stained cheeks, but he asked, "Do you know him?"

Gillian nodded her head and said, "Yes, he's my friend."

A second ambulance and the fire department were now on the scene and multiple people were working on getting Cal and the other driver out of their vehicles. Someone else came up to Gillian and informed her she had glass in her hand as she was escorted to the back of an ambulance where she sat at the edge of the open doors.

Remembering the sharp sting she'd ignored, she said without taking her eyes off the vehicles, "I fell." The person speaking to her removed the glass from her hand without Gillian so much as flinching because she was so focused on what was happening around her. Just as she was finishing being bandaged up, she saw a stretcher moving away from Cal's vehicle with a body on it.

As the person fixing her up said, "You're all set," Gillian dashed toward the stretcher that was quickly moving toward an ambulance.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but you need to back up," a gruff voice told her.

"Please, let me go with him. He's my…my…" she trailed off. Her brain was having trouble taking in the scene in front of her. Cal's face started flashing between his own and Claire's and all of a sudden Gillian was once again choking down sobs as grief and fear washed over her.

The first paramedic with the strong voice that had found Gillian in the car walked up along side of them and said, "She goes with him. Their friends." His statements pulled Gillian's mind back, grounding her in the present.

"He's my friend," she repeated to the man with the gruff voice.

"We've got a shallow pulse!" someone called from inside the ambulance.

Gillian's eyes went wide and she snapped her head to Cal.

"Get in. Hurry!"

* * *

><p>Ahhhh! ; )<p> 


	4. Family

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait. There's this annoying thing called 'work' that got in my way. How very rude!

* * *

><p>Gillian quickly climbed in the ambulance and took a seat next to Cal, her body shaking as she looked at him covered in blood. There was a man trying to stop the bleeding from the side of Cal's head, and another that was getting a blood transfusion started.<p>

Gillian immediately reached for his hand and looked at the ceiling in an effort to get her tears to stop.

_I can't lose him. Why didn't I just forgive him? Maybe then this wouldn't have happened. Did he do this on purpose?_

She looked down at him with her last thought, praying that he hadn't done something so reckless simply because she'd hadn't forgiven him.

A paramedic began asking a slew of questions regarding Cal, saving Gillian from her thoughts.

Name? Date of birth? Blood type? Allergies? Medications? Health problems?

She knew all the answers. And in the short time it took to answer everything, they had arrived at the hospital.

Cal was quickly removed from the ambulance and rolled into the hospital where the paramedics relayed the extent of his injuries – severe blood loss, head trauma, possible rib fractures and internal bleeding, very shallow pulse.

Gillian waited at the double doors as she was instructed while they rushed Cal away to run their necessary tests. She could feel herself nearing the breaking point and she looked around for a private place. She found a one-stall, family bathroom. Entering and locking the door behind her, she sank to the floor as she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She laid her head on her forearms and allowed the sobs that had been seeking release to finally be free.

_Why? Why didn't I just forgive him? What if I never get to forgive him now? Oh God… What if the last time he saw me I was angry with him? How could I have done that? He's my best friend, the only person in the world I can't live without and I shut him out. I pushed him away, and I might never get to hear his voice or see his eyes again. I may never get to hug him or kiss him…_

A new wave of sobs wracked Gillian's body, and her body shook with each wave that rolled over her until she felt like she couldn't cry anymore.

Pulling her head up, she ran her hands over her face. She stood and walked to the sink, turning on the water as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red, and she still had Cal's blood on her. She washed her hands, and took a couple handfuls of cold water and ran it over her face, allowing her to feel a little better.

Then her stomach dropped. "Emily."

She quickly exited the bathroom and went to the nurse's desk. "Hi. Is there a phone I can use? My friend is in surgery and I left my cell phone at home. I need to call his daughter."

"There's a payphone down the hall," the hefty nurse told her.

Gillian quietly pleaded, "I don't have my wallet either. Please. She really needs to know."

Looking around, the nurse nodded her head to the side for Gillian to come around the desk. "Stand here behind the wall so everyone in the waiting room doesn't see you," the nurse warned. "And dial 9 for an outside line."

Gillian thanked her and picked up the phone, trying to remember Emily's number. When she thought she'd gotten it right, she punched in the last digit.

"Hello?" a young voice asked. Gillian knew right away it was her.

"Emily. It's Gillian." She tried to keep her voice level, but she knew she failed and she closed her eyes at Emily's question.

"What's wrong?" She already sounded frantic and she didn't even know anything yet.

"Your dad was in a car accident. We're at Mercy South and he's in surgery," Gillian explained. She wanted somehow to sugarcoat it, but between her guilt and worry she was far too emotionally spent to do anything but explain the situation as it was.

"Is he ok?" Emily asked.

Gillian could hear a door close in the background, and she was silent for a moment. "I don't know, Em." She cursed herself for the shakiness of her voice.

"What do you mean? He's either ok or he's not!" Emily half shouted.

"They haven't told me much. He…he has several injuries, but I don't really know anything else," Gillian said, dropping her head and wrapping her free arm around herself in a much-needed hug.

"Are you ok?" Emily asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Gillian assured her. "Emily, please be careful on your way here."

"I'll be fine Gillian," Emily shortly responded.

Gillian raised her head again, thankful to have something other than Cal to focus on for a moment, even if it was more worry. "Emily, in the two minutes I've been on the phone with you I've heard the door to a house, the door to your car, and at least two angry drivers honk at you. The last thing I need is you being wheeled in here too. Slow down. Please."

Emily could hear the pleading tone in her voice so she promised, "I will. I'll see you in a few minutes.

###############

Fifteen minutes later, Emily ran through the doors to the ER and started looking around. Gillian got up from her chair and walked toward her. She could see Emily had been crying, and the young girl shook her head slightly as she spoke.

"So? Do you know anything else?"

Gillian could see Emily was still running on pure adrenaline, just like she had earlier. She placed her hand on Emily's shoulder and said, "No."

"Well they have to tell us something!" Emily went to the nurse's desk and started asking frantic questions when Gillian came up behind her. She placed her hands on Emily's upper arms and slowly directed her toward the side, explaining to the nurse who had let her use the phone that Emily was with her. The nurse nodded in understanding and picked up the phone.

Emily was speaking so quickly Gillian was having trouble keeping up. She finally caught the questions "What happened?" and "When will we know something?"

Gillian grabbed Emily's hands and, not knowing Emily already knew, explained to her that Cal had come over to talk to her, and he got in the accident when he was leaving. She didn't think Emily needed to know it was the result of a fight.

"So, you did get to talk?" Emily asked. "And what happened to your hand?"

Gillian furrowed her brow at Emily's first question and said, "Yes, the accident was after he left. I was inside, but it was just a few houses down at the intersection. One of my neighbors came out right after it happened and called the ambulance. As for my hand," she said while looking at her bandaged palm, "I fell trying to get the door to the car open. I landed on a piece of glass, but I'm ok."

Tear started forming in Emily's eyes, "He wasn't ok, was he?"

Gillian's eyes mirrored the girl's, and she shook her head, "He had a shallow pulse, and he lost a lot of blood."

Emily's eyes spilled over and Gillian wrapped her arms around her, holding her close and trying to fight off more of her own tears.

"Ms. Foster?" the nurse from the desk said gently in the direction of the pair.

Gillian loosened her hold, Emily holding on just as tightly, and she turned as much as Emily's hold allowed so she could see the woman. "Yes?"

"You should know something soon. I called down to the O.R. and they said the doctor will be out in a few minutes. One of the nurses owed me a favor," she explained, seeing Gillian wondered how she knew the status of Cal's surgery. Generally in hospitals it seemed no one knew anything about anyone.

"Thank you," Gillian said gratefully. The nurse gave her a small smile and went back to her work.

Gillian pulled back to look at Emily and said, "Soon."

Emily released her hold on Gillian, feeling a little foolish for all the tears she shed on Gillian's shoulder. She sniffed and said, "Sorry about your shirt."

Gillian pulled at the shoulder of her shirt while looking at it and said with a small smile, "Good thing I work black." Emily gave her a small, forced smile, and Gillian wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a side hug. "He'll be ok. You're dad is far too stubborn not to be."

"That's true," Emily admitted with a more genuine smile.

"Ms. Foster?" a man in blue scrubs called out.

Gillian dropped her arm from around Emily and they both walked over to him.

"I'm Gillian Foster," she said as she stood in front of the doctor as calmly as possible. Emily stood next to her with wide eyes, waiting for the news. "This is his daughter Emily," she further explained when the doctor hesitated a moment.

Bringing his eyes to Gillian's he explained, "He lost a lot of blood, but the paramedics started the transfusion in time so he'll be ok. He has a fractured rib that's going to give him some pain for a few weeks until it's healed, and he's got a pretty bad bump on the head. Fortunately, there was no internal bleeding as was suspected. There's some bruising and he's going to be very sore, but he's really lucky."

Gillian breathed a shaky sigh of relief, and nodded at the doctor as she pressed her lips together, fighting off more tears.

"Can we see him?" Emily asked the question that was nagging at both of them.

"He's unconscious, but he's stable. Normally we only allow in one at a time, but as long as you keep it to the two of you, I'll allow it. Anyone else and it needs to be one at a time. Got it?" he asked with a tone that said it was non-negotiable.

They both nodded and he gave them a smile saying, "I'll take you to his room."

When they arrived outside his door, the doctor left them alone and Gillian motioned for Emily to go in first. She followed behind her, once again laying her hand on her arm when Emily stopped suddenly. Gillian looked over the girl's shoulder to see a bandage wrapped around Cal's head, and a deep purple bruise covering the swollen left side of his face.

"You ok?" Gillian asked Emily as she moved to her side.

Emily nodded, rooting herself to her spot just inside the door.

Gillian gave her arm a squeeze and moved past her into the room and around the end of the bed to Cal's left side where she had a better view of the bruise.

Guilt suddenly swelled inside her as she took in his injuries. She looked down his left arm that was cut from the glass. She couldn't believe it hadn't broken from the car's impact – he really needed a new car with airbags. Maybe now he'd get one.

Looking back at his face, she couldn't help but think this never would have happened if she hadn't been so cold to him, if she'd just accepted his lame apology like every other time. He had been practically begging for her to tell him how to make it right. She believed in that moment that he would have done anything to make her stop being mad at him; but she was still too angry, too offended…

Shaking her head at herself and trying to push away the guilt that threatened to tear her apart, she reached for his hand and laced their fingers together. Looking behind her, she pulled a chair closer and sat by his side. She raised her gaze to see Emily looking in their direction and had a thought.

"Do you want some time alone with him?" she asked, thinking it was rather rude of her not to have asked in the first place.

"No," Emily quickly stated. "Not yet anyway."

Gillian nodded, knowing this was a lot for a teenager to take in. Emily was very grown up in many ways, but seeing your dad in this condition would be hard for anyone.

"There's another chair," Gillian said, hoping to get Emily to sit down and relax a little bit.

Emily moved toward the bed and pulled the other chair up to Cal's opposite side and sat down. She mirrored Gillian's actions and took her father's hand.

She'd been watching Gillian's interaction with her dad, and she couldn't help but wonder what exactly they talked about. She knew what was supposed to be said, but why would he have left? _Either he didn't get that far, or she'd rejected him_, she concluded. She looked up at Gillian who was still wracked with fear and worry. Emily wished in that moment that she had more of her father's ability. She knew some of his tricks, but not all of them. She couldn't believe that Gillian didn't love her dad though.

"They say that sometimes people can hear you when they're unconscious, right?" Emily asked, and Gillian nodded.

Emily was silent for a moment, and then said, "Dad, I'm really mad at you."

Gillian looked at Cal's closed eyes. She really wished she could their color right now. She knew they were hazel, but she just really wanted to see them.

Emily continued, "And I'm going to date one new guy for every day you don't wake up, and I'm going to move an extra state away for college every day too."

Gillian raised her eyebrows at Cal and said, "I'm kind of surprised that didn't work."

Emily smiled at her, shrugged, and said, "It was worth a shot."

Gillian smiled at her and saw a nurse walk in the room.

"Hello, you two," the brunette greeted them. "How's our patient doing?"

"Pretty out of it," Emily said, giving Gillian a knowing look. Gillian smiled at her and laughed.

"Are you both family?" the nurse asked, trying to make small talk while she hung a bag of new meds for Cal's IV drip.

"I'm his business partner, and she's his daughter," Gillian explained.

"Business partner?" Emily asked, looking up at Gillian with her brow furrowed. "Is that how you describe yourself?" That definitively confirmed her suspicions about the conversation between Gillian and her dad. But had it gone horribly wrong, or had her dad simply not told Gillian that he loves her?

Gillian was puzzled. "Well, I am," she defended her answer.

Emily looked back at her, feeling a little defensive. "My dad would never call himself your business partner if the roles were reversed."

The nurse was amused at the interaction between the two females, each holding one of her patient's hands. "Well, if you want my two cents," she said, "someone who's just a business partner wouldn't sit by his bed and hold his hand like that."

Gillian looked down at their intertwined fingers. She never considered herself only a business partner, but she didn't expect Emily to act offended that she'd called herself that.

"Let me rephrase for her," Emily said to the nurse. "I'm his daughter and she's as close as family gets. So yes, we're both family."

Gillian, who was still looking at her and Cal's hands, turned her eyes back to Emily who was now looking at the nurse standing in the doorway. She felt warmth spread in her chest at Emily's statement and she squeezed Cal's hand since it was already within her grasp.

The nurse looked back at the pair and said, "I'll be in once more before the end of my shift. Hopefully we'll get his opinion on the matter before then!" She smiled at them and ducked out into the hall.

After a moment of silence, Gillian said, "I figured my being his business partner was the easiest explanation."

"The easiest thing would have been for you to say you're a friend," Emily countered. Then, the not knowing killing her and feigning ignorance, she asked, "Why did he really go to see you?"

Gillian swallowed. "It's complicated."

"Isn't everything that involves my dad?" Emily asked flatly.

With a small laugh, Gillian said, "Yes. It certainly is."

* * *

><p>Was this hard to read? I find chapters with Gillian and Emily difficult to write because of the pronouns. Hopefully you were able to track with me. : )<p> 


	5. Relief

A/N: I just want to thank all of you that are taking the time to review as you read. Each one puts a smile on my face!

* * *

><p>Over the next twelve hours, Emily and Gillian took turns sitting with Cal. Eli and Ria stopped by to check in and see how things were going. Gillian instructed them to go back to work and said she'd call if anything changed. Ria offered to stay for an hour so they could go home to change, but they both insisted they were fine. They both wanted to be there when he woke up.<p>

Nurses were in and out all night checking Cal's IV and taking his vitals. Each time, they confirmed he was holding steady and was in good condition; and each time Emily and Gillian exchanged weak smiles. No one spoke aloud what they were thinking – he might never wake up. The two females refused to accept that as a possibility, and they were thankful that no one else had spoken the words.

Sometime mid-morning after Eli and Ria had gone back to work, Emily decided to go to the cafeteria for some breakfast. She offered to bring something back for Gillian, but she said she'd go down herself in a little while.

After Emily left and yet another nurse had been in to check on Cal, Gillian grew restless.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked Cal, part of her expecting him to open his eyes and tell her it had all be an elaborate hoax or bad dream. "For me to forgive you? Because that's not going to happen. You have a lot of making up to do," she told him. And then she added, "I mean a _lot_! First you pull that stunt in the lab and now this." She sighed and put her elbows on the bed, resting her chin in her palms. "How about this – I promise not to hover anymore, no more nagging, if you just wake up." She waited, but nothing happened. "Did you hear what Emily said last night about boys and college?" Still nothing. She brought her hands around to cover her face then dropped them to the bed. She got up from her chair, leaned in close to him, and whispered, "Please come back, Cal. I need you. Please." She placed a lingering kiss on his cheek and sat back in her chair, biting her lip.

A moment later, the phone rang, startling Gillian out of her trance-like state. She shot up out of the chair and looked around to locate the phone. It was over by Emily's chair so she hurriedly made her way around the bed, picked it up, and tentatively said, "Hello?" She had no idea who would be calling his room.

"Gillian? Are you ok? I've been calling you for eighteen hours! I finally called your office and they told me you were at the hospital. What's going on?"

"Mark!" she replied. "I'm so sorry. Cal was in a car accident last night by my house. I ran out and didn't bring anything with me. I don't even think I shut my front door…" She trailed off, trying to remember if she'd reached for the door on the way out or not.

Again Mark asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I wasn't in the car," she explained.

"Ok, should I come home early?" he asked, not sure what was acceptable or expected in their new relationship. "I can blow off my meeting."

"Oh, no! There's no need for that. I'm perfectly fine. Finish what you have to do and come home when you planned to. I've obviously been here since last night and I don't intend on leaving until he wakes up anyway," she told him.

Mark nodded to himself, wondering if she'd do the same were it him in a hospital bed. "He's not conscious?" he finally asked.

Gillian was quiet for a moment. "The other car hit him in the driver's side front door. He took a pretty bad bump to the head. He's stable though."

"Ok," he said, hearing the worry in her voice and wishing there was something he could do for her. "You'll call if you need anything?"

"Yes, I will. Don't worry. Just finish your meeting and I'll see you in a couple days," she said sweetly, trying to reassure him.

"Alright. I'll see you soon," Mark told her.

They both hung up just before Emily walked back in, a bagel and cream cheese with an apple in hand.

"That," Gillian said while pointing at Emily's breakfast, "looks really good. I'll be back in a little bit."

"Ok," Emily said as she reassumed her position on her chair. She looked over her shoulder to be sure Gillian was gone, then asked, "So, Dad. Have you told her yet?" She looked at him for a moment as if he were actually going to respond. "I didn't think so. You really need to get on that, you know? She's not going to wait around forever; and if you wait too much longer, I guarantee she'll have a ring on her finger and you'll have waited too long." She took a bite of her bagel and looked him over. "You look better today. That bruise looks horrible, but the swelling is going down. You've got some more color too." She waited a moment longer and said, "Are you sure threats of boys and college won't help?" Nothing. Not so much as an extra bleep from the monitors. "I didn't think so," she sighed. "Just remember I love you."

###############

A couple hours after breakfast, the brunette nurse from the day before came back on shift.

"No change?" she asked as she walked into the room. They both confirmed her question with a "nope" and a shake of their heads. "Well, at least you've made it a little more homey in here," she said as she looked over the flowers on the table. Ria had sent some from the office and Eli ordered up some balloons, knowing they would almost immediately annoy Cal whenever he woke up.

"Dr. Lightman," she addressed her patient. "I expect an answer from you today on the status of Ms. Foster here – family or not? I'm off at 10 tonight, so chop, chop! Get to waking, sir."

"Gillian. My name is Gillian," she told the nurse, grateful that she was making an effort to still seem hopeful.

"Julie," the nurse said as she checked Cal's vitals. "That's not good news Dr. Lightman. Gillian and I are now on a first name basis. And I know your daughter's name is…" She trailed off, waiting to hear the name.

"Emily," Emily told her.

"Emily," the nurse repeated. "Your vitals are fine, so get with it! These two girls aren't going to last a day by themselves. Some other guy is going to swoop in the second they walk out the door without you." Looking at her watch she added, "It is now 11:30. You've got ten and a half hours."

With that, she winked at Emily and Gillian and left the room.

Emily smirked and said, "I like her!"

"Yeah," Gillian agreed. "I do too."

###############

Several hours later, Gillian noticed Emily looked like she was about to fall asleep in her chair.

"Why don't you lie down on the couch, Em?" she suggested.

"Can you call that a couch?" Emily questioned, looking over at the small cushioned piece of furniture.

Gillian chuckled and said, "It's got to be better than sitting up."

Emily nodded and took her jacket from the back of her chair to ball up into a pillow. She curled her long limbs onto the tiny couch and almost instantly fell asleep. Gillian got up and found an extra blanket in one of the cabinets to cover her with. Sitting back down, she pulled her chair closer to the bed, took Cal's hand, and laid her head on the edge of the bed. Within minutes, she too was asleep.

###############

Opening his eyes, he immediately closed them again. Everything seemed so bright. And it smelled very much like a hospital. He'd know that smell anywhere. He hated that smell. It smelled like sterile death. Cracking his eyes open again, he could see a white blur that confirmed his suspicions – he was in a hospital. _Bloody hell…_ A florescent glow refused to stop assaulting his pupils, so he attempted to move, wanting to sit up so the lights wouldn't be directly in his eyes. As he contracted his core muscles to sit up, a muffled cough mixed with a gasp escaped his lips from the pain and he clenched his fists as much as one could after being out for 24 hours.

Gillian instantly awoke at the feeling of something squeezing her hand. Her head shot up and she looked at Cal's face. It was contorted in pain.

"Cal?" she worriedly, but quietly asked. "Cal, can you hear me?" She brought her other hand to his arm, laying it gently there while she continued to hold his hand.

"Get the lights," he whispered, the pain fading from his face.

Loathe to let go of his hand, Gillian quickly moved to the light switch, flicked it off, and came back to his side, taking his hand again.

Attempting to open his eyes again and finding the dark comforting to his unadjusted pupils, he said to her, "Well done." He squinted his eyes as he turned to face her and asked, "What the bloody hell happened?"

She sat next to him again, leaning in and quietly said, "You were in a car accident."

"What?" He closed his eyes and laid his head back on his pillow, trying to remember what had happened as Gillian held his hand to her chest, the fingers of both her hands curling completely around his. "Oiy – I went to apologize to you, and you weren't havin' it."

"Right," she replied, feeling guilty all over again.

"And you wouldn't give me the magic formula. Mean one, you are," he said, sounding completely drugged as he closed his eyes again.

"No, I wouldn't give it to you. Getting in an accident and nearly killing yourself isn't the magic formula, by the way," she said.

Without opening his eyes again, Cal replied, "Well, you wouldn't tell me, so that was my best guess."

"Nearly killing yourself? That was your best guess?" she asked, sounding disgusted.

"You're here aren't you?" he defended himself.

"Yes," she simply replied.

"Are you still mad?" he asked, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

Rolling her eyes, she said, "It hardly seems important now."

Cal gave her a satisfied smile, to which she replied, "That doesn't mean you're off the hook though."

He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. Gillian sighed in relief at being able to look in his eyes.

"There you are," she whispered on a smile as tears formed in her eyes.

He gave her a weak smile, and then looking over her shoulder asked, "Is that Em?"

"Yes!" Gillian said, nearly forgetting someone else was in the room. She let go of his hand and crossed the room. She gently laid her hand on Emily's shoulder and said, "Emily. Sweetheart, wake up."

"Mmmm," Emily hummed.

"Emily, your father's awake," Gillian said with a smile in her voice.

She rolled over and said with sleep in her voice, "What?"

Gillian turned and pointed. "He's awake. Go say hi so I can get the doctor."

Emily nearly ran across the room to her dad and threw her arms around his neck as he grunted in pain. Gillian smirked as she left the room in search of a doctor.

"I'm sorry," Emily apologized for hurting him, "but that's what you get for getting in such a serious accident. Do I get to take your license away?"

"No, you absolutely do not! I did not almost run a woman over, as you did, Emily," he said.

She smiled widely and said, "Welcome back, Dad."

A moment later, Gillian came back in the room with a doctor in tow who looked Cal over and told him that one more day in the hospital and he could go home. His injuries were healing perfectly and there was no evidence of any memory loss.

"It looks like you'll make a full recovery, Dr. Lightman," he said before leaving the room.

"I can't get outta here fast enough," Cal complained.

Gillian looked at Emily and said, "He's already back to himself."

"No doubt about it!" Emily agreed.

###############

"I heard the good news!" Julie said, walking in the room to check Cal's IV one last time. "I'm Julie, your nurse. Thank you for listening to me."

"Excuse me?" Cal asked, having no idea what she was talking about.

Julie smirked at him. "I told you – my shift ends at 10 tonight, and I expected an answer to the discussion these two were having last night after you came in."

"What is she talkin' 'bout?" Cal asked, looking between Gillian and Emily.

"It's kind of a long story," Gillian said in an attempt to close the topic of conversation.

"Gillian introduced herself as your business partner to Julie. I told her, in so many words, that was crap and that she was family," Emily explained.

Cal felt a twinge of disappointment in his chest at hearing what Gillian called herself. "Not a long story at all, Gil," Cal quipped as Gillian pressed her lips together.

"So," Julie began, "Which is it? Business partner or family? Honesty means this is your last course of meds. Give me the real answer and I'll take your IV out as soon as this bag is gone," she promised.

Cal looked over at Gillian who was standing at a corner of the end of the bed, fidgeting with the edge of his blanket and very interested in the threads. His eyes roamed her face, and despite still feeling somewhat out of it, he could see she was anxious about his answer.

Gillian knew he was reading her, and she knew he saw her insecure, unsure emotions. She was simply thankful he couldn't feel the butterflies in her stomach.

He thought it over for a moment, weighing how he wanted to describe her against what he thought would be appropriate considering her relationship status.

"She's much more than a business partner," he finally replied, causing Gillian to look up and give him a small smile.

Emily also let out a small smile, happy that her dad hadn't deflected, but slightly disappointed at his answer.

Julie saw the way Cal was looking at Gillian. If that wasn't love, nothing was. And based on Gillian's distance from him since he'd woken up that she'd witnessed, it was a love they hadn't acknowledged.

"Good enough for me!" Julie replied. "I'll be back in every couple hours to check your vitals, and I'll get that buggar out of your arm as soon as that bag is gone. Promise!"

Gillian thanked Julie once again, watching her leave the room. Then her eyes caught Cal's. He was still looking at her from when he'd given his answer. _His eyes are full of…_

"I'll be right back," she said, suddenly feeling as though she needed to leave the room. "I just thought of something I needed to ask the nurse." She quickly exited the room, walking down the hall in the direction of the nurses' station and ducked down another hallway. She leaned against the wall, concentrating on the rhythm of her breathing. She closed her eyes tightly and slowly exhaled a deep breath. _I must have seen that wrong._

###############

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Emily asked after Gillian left the room.

"I didn't exactly get a chance, Em. So please, spare me the lecture," he warned. He knew Gillian lied about needing to talk to the nurse, but before he could fully contemplate why, she was back in the room.

"Get your question answered?" Cal asked, giving her a look that indicated he didn't at all buy that she had been talking to Julie.

"Yes," she said while looking him in the eye.

Cal furrowed his brow. _That wasn't a lie…_

"Sounds like you'll be out of here around one tomorrow afternoon," she told him. She hadn't intended on asking anyone anything when she left, but she knew Cal saw that she'd lied so she figured she might as well ask something while she was out so she didn't have to lie again.

"Brilliant," he told her with a suspicious look.

Gillian gave him one of her 'I know you can't figure me out' looks, and the three of them fell into easy conversation.

* * *

><p>You can all now breathe a sigh of relief that Cal is ok. As if I would ever do anything to permanently harm him! ; )<p> 


	6. A Touch of Honesty

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait! I never had any intention of my updates taking so long, but I've ended up changing things around as I post and that means I end up re-writing half of it. I thank you for your patience. : )

* * *

><p>After knowing her dad was going to be ok and that Gillian saying she was going to stay until he was discharged, Emily opted to leave her dad in the capable hands of the doctors. <em>And loving arms of Gillian<em>, she noted as she saw that Gillian was once again sitting by her dad's side.

"Do you want me to bring you anything, Gillian?" Emily asked her, drawing the attention of the other two. "I'm going home to change and shower. Then I'm coming back this way to a friend's house. She only lives a few minutes from here. I could stop at your place for some clothes if you want."

"That would be great!" Gillian said as she got up, looking around for her purse and wishing she'd taken Ria up on her earlier offer. She really needed a change of clothes. "Oh shoot, I keep forgetting I don't have anything with me. Call Eli on your way and have him meet you there. I think I ran out without closing my front door. I don't want you going in there alone if it was left open all night." She explained where the spare key was hidden outside incase one of her neighbors was nice enough to lock up for her.

Rolling her eyes at Gillian's instructions, Emily said, "Right, got it. Call Eli. Key is in a fake rock behind the bush." She yelled the last part from the hallway as she waved over her shoulder.

Gillian looked at Cal with a sympathetic look and he replied, "Yeah, I deal with that every day."

###############

"Eli. It's Emily. I think your balloons did the trick," she said into her phone as she climbed in her car.

"Why?" he asked through the phone.

"He's awake!" She explained the situation regarding Gillian's front door and asked him to meet her at Gillian's home.

A little while later, Emily saw Eli pull up behind her and she climbed out of the car.

"Thanks for meeting me here. I'm sure everything is fine, but you know my dad and Gillian." She rolled her eyes again as they walked to the door and Emily found the key.

"Yeah," he said. "Both protective of you."

"Mmhmm," she murmured as they walked inside.

Emily headed straight to Gillian's bedroom for a change of clothes, and Eli wandered through the house to look around and make sure everything was ok. He didn't find anything suspicious, other than a lot of pictures of Lightman. He made his way back to the front entrance where he found Emily looking at a picture by the door.

"She could have anyone in the world and, no offense, she wants your dad," he said as he shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emily asked, looking over her shoulder. She knew her dad was difficult to deal with, and agreed that Gillian could have anyone; but she decided to play dumb because still wanted to know what had happened between them.

"Just that she's obviously in love with him, and he continues to treat her like crap," Eli said.

Sighing, Emily turned around and asked, "Were they having a fight?"

He shrugged and said, "I guess. He really pissed her off at work yesterday."

Emily shook her head and walked outside. "What is wrong with him?" she asked as she stopped to wait for Eli to lock and close the door. She put the key back in its hiding place and then added, "All he has to do is–" She cut herself off, knowing she was about to admit to a third party that her dad loved Gillian.

"All he has to do is what?" Eli asked suspiciously.

"Stop being an ass," she finished her statement. _Admit it_, she said to herself. "Thank you again for meeting me here. He's supposed to be headed home tomorrow. I'm sure they'll tell him to stay in bed, but you'll probably see him by the end of the week. See ya!"

Eli held his suspicious gaze as he watched Emily get in her car and drive away. "That is not what she's was going to say," he said aloud to himself as he stood there alone.

###############

"Have you been here the whole time?" Cal asked Gillian out of the blue.

"Yes. I rode in the ambulance with you, and I've been here since," she told him, looking up from her magazine, now sitting across the room where Emily had fallen asleep. "A few more hours and we'll have been here a whole day."

"Mark doesn't care?" he asked, testing the waters.

"He's still out of town for his meeting. He won't be home until tomorrow evening," she explained, swallowing which Cal didn't miss.

"Right. So just long enough for you to drop me at home and then give him a homecomin'?" he wondered aloud while wishing she was sitting closer so he could better read her.

Gillian rolled her eyes in annoyance, set her magazine down and walked over to his bedside, causing Cal to wonder if they were really so in sync that she could read his mind.

"I'm not sure I'll see him tomorrow. It might be pretty late by the time he gets home," she told him, standing by his side with her fingers resting on the edge of the bed as she looked down at him.

"Oh, he's not waitin'," Cal told her with a suggestive look.

"Meaning what exactly?" she asked, offended and standing a bit taller.

"It means," he said, deciding to go fishing, "that he wants a repeat of your dinner date."

Gillian knew exactly what he was doing. "Really? He's going to come to my door late at night after being gone for several days, kiss me on the cheek, and leave?"

He couldn't help it – surprise flashed in his eyes.

She leaned on the edge of his bed with her forearms so she was at his eye level and said, "That's right, Cal. I didn't sleep with him."

He glued his eyes to hers and asked, "Ever?"

Looking back at him and pursing her lips to hide the amused smile that was forming, she replied, "No."

They both looked at each other, his a neutral expression trying to hide the celebration within and hers a knowing smirk, until the phone rang. Gillian moved from her spot to answer it and when she hung up she said, "Emily's back. I'm meeting her at the entrance so she doesn't have to come all the way up. I'll be back."

He watched as she walked away, still loving the purple pajama pants, and sighed when she was out of sight.

"What the bloody hell is goin' on?" he asked himself. He knew that since she hadn't slept with Mark yet, it was coming soon. And that somehow felt worse. It gave him hope that he knew was false. She really liked this guy, and Cal knew he didn't stand a chance.

Julie walked in and saw the hopeless expression on Cal's face. "Time to take the IV out!" she told him, hoping for a small smile.

Cal held out his arm and didn't say a word.

"You love her, don't you?" she asked, knowing he was probably going to deny it.

"Don't see how that's any of your business," he flatly replied.

"Wow. I was expecting flat out denial. Maybe you're moving in the right direction," she teased.

"Just take out the damn IV," he growled.

Julie did as he asked and checked his vitals in amused silence.

###############

Walking out the front doors, Gillian spotted Emily's car parked near the curb. She climbed in the passenger seat and smiled gratefully at the bag of clothes Emily handed her.

"Thank you so much! I can't wait to get into some clean clothes," she told Emily. "Was everything ok at the house?"

"Yeah, everything was fine," Emily assured her. "Well, there was one thing…"

Gillian looked over at her and asked, "What?"

"You could really use some more pictures. Different pictures," Emily said.

Gillian scrunched up her face in confusion and asked with a small chuckle, "What's wrong with the pictures I have?"

"Nothing is wrong with them. There are just _a lot_ of pictures of my dad." Emily gave her a suspicious look.

Gillian looked down at the bag in her lap and said, "He's a big part of my life, Emily." Then, deciding to take a small step, she added, "I don't know what I would have done if something happened to him."

"I do," Emily told her, glancing in her direction. "You'd sit by his bed, just like you did. You'd never leave him until you knew he was ok, and then you'd distance yourself so he had no idea how much you care. Just like you did."

With wide eyes at Emily's boldness, Gillian said, "I meant if something more permanent happened to him."

"I hope we never find out," Emily said quietly.

"Me too. Thanks for the clothes," Gillian said as she opened the door, wanting to make a quick exit before Emily offered anymore of her opinions.

"Hey Gil," Emily said as Gillian placed her feet on the curb, her back to Emily.

"Yeah?" Gillian asked, closing her eyes and waiting to see what the girl had to say.

"He really cares about you, you know? And he'll probably never say it, but I know he's glad you're here. There's no one else he'd rather have."

Gillian gave her a nod and a smile from over her shoulder, and climbed out of the car. She watched Emily drive away then took a deep breath, readying herself for an evening with Cal.

###############

"I was startin' to think you weren't comin' back," Cal said as Gillian walked in the room.

"I stopped off to change," Gillian said, motioning toward her t-shirt and jeans.

"You could've changed here," Cal told her.

"Mmm," Gillian hummed as she looked around the room. The only barrier was a privacy curtain that was within Cal's reach. _Not likely_, she thought to herself.

She licked her lips and gave him an annoyed look as he bobbed his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Your other outfit looked more comfortable," he said as he admired the tight fit of the fabrics.

"Well, lucky for me, you have a daughter – she packed me some clean comfy clothes too," Gillian said with a smile as she showed him the bag she was carrying. She set the bag down and took her seat once again, kicking her shoes off and leaning back in it while resting her feet on the edge of his bed.

Cal looked down at her perfectly pedicured toes and resisted the urge to run his hands over her feet and up her legs. Looking back up at her, he noticed she had a bandage around her hand.

"What happened there?" he asked.

She followed his gaze to her hand and said, "Oh, I cut myself."

He narrowed his eyes at her, thinking she couldn't possibly have given him a more vague answer.

"It happened at the accident," she further explained.

Cal looked down at his lap and thought back. _She wasn't in the car with me…_

Seeing his mind turning, Gillian further explained, "I heard the accident from inside. I went down to where it happened and," she trailed off for a moment, images of Cal in his car flashing in her mind. She shook her thoughts aside and looked up at him confidently, saying, "And I saw you in your car. The door was stuck and I fell on a piece of glass trying to get it open." She gave him a small smile at the slightly worried look on his face.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that, love," he said, his brow furrowed. He couldn't help but think back to the look on her face when he'd arrived at Claire's apartment a month ago. Granted, he wasn't murdered; but he could only assume something triggered her memory based on how she'd trailed off mid-sentence.

"There's no need to apologize. Unless you did it on purpose," she said while looking at him.

Cal reached out for her bandaged hand, flipping it over so he could see her palm. Gillian's stomach flipped as she watched him gently run his thumb over the width of her hand before wrapping his fingers around it.

"I didn't do it on purpose," he assured her. "My plan was to go home and get pissed again." He looked up at her, and upon seeing the disapproving look on her face, he added, "And stay home the next day. I just wasn't payin' attention when I left your place."

_Because you were so upset_, Gillian said to herself. "Why do you always chase your problems into a bottle, Cal?" Gillian wondered aloud, fully expecting a deflection.

"Same reason everyone else does, love. Numb the pain," he told her truthfully.

Gillian raised her eyebrows in surprise at his honesty, and then bit her lip at the realization that she was causing him pain. She had thought he was just acting out like a child because that's what Cal did. Very frequently. Whenever he didn't get his way. She'd never considered that she was actually hurting him. Yes, the psychologist in her saw the connection between her happiness with someone else and Cal's downward spirals; but she never drew such a direct connection. She always assumed it was far more complicated that.

"That still doesn't excuse what you did in the lab," she told him quietly, guilt overtaking her once again as she felt the need to place part of the blame elsewhere.

Cal saw the sadness on her face and said, "No, it doesn't. But I've already tried to apologize for that, and I can't do anything else to make it up from a hospital bed."

"You could explain it to me," she said.

Leaning his head back against the elevated bed, he settled in further, finally letting go of her hand and said, "Now's not the time for that."

"When's a good time? We'll schedule it in," she said with a hint of amusement that covered the disappointment at their loss of contact. She felt her heart instantly ache when he let go of her.

"How 'bout five years from now? I think I'm free then," he said flatly.

Testing her theory, she playfully pushed him in the arm, letting her hand linger there for a moment; and in that moment she felt the ache subside. When she took her hand back a mere second later, the ache swelled again.

"Ok," she told him. "You're on my schedule."

He looked at her from the corner of his eye as a smirk crossed his lips. Smiling back at him, Gillian got up from her chair and went back to the couch to finish her magazine.

* * *

><p>I will make no promises for the delivery date of the next chapter because all my predictions thus far have not been accurate. I will promise that it will be most if not all Callian.<p> 


	7. Fun and Games

A/N: I'm here, I'm here! I haven't gotten lost, promise. I got sucked into a new project that demanded my attention for a bit. Regardless, here's a new chapter, and the next one is nearly finished as well. : )

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><p>Gillian heard the absurd words roll off his tongue as she was reading the last paragraph of the last story in her magazine.<p>

"Let's play Truth or Dare."

She held up a finger to him as she finished reading, and once she was done she calmly closed the cover, set the magazine next to her and said, "That game is ridiculous. I'm not playing that." She crossed her arms over her chest as if to say that was final.

"Oh come on, Gil! I'm bored out of my mind sittin' here. There's rubbish on the telly, you can hardly call this food," he picked up a spoonful of mush and let the food slop off it back into the bowl to make his point, "and the nurses are drivin' me up the damn wall. Humor me," he practically begged.

She inhaled deeply, considering his request. "How do I know you're not going to dare me to streak down the hall?"

"You don't. That's the fun of it love," he said to her through hooded eyes.

She gave him a half smile as she pondered if he would really make her embarrass herself. "No nudity, nothing related to sex, and nothing that will land either of us in jail," she said pointedly.

"Well now where's the fun in that?" he whined.

"Take it or leave it, Cal. Those are my rules, and I'm not playing under any other conditions." She said it so seriously Cal almost laughed.

"Well alright then, but you have to go first – truth or dare?"

Gillian sighed, already regretting how easily she caved in. Damn her guilt.

"Da-, no… Tru-, no…" she trailed off, a look of extreme consideration on her face.

"Pick one!" Cal told her excitedly. "Unless you'd like both."

"One is quiet enough thank you." She paused for a moment and looked him in the eye, considering her options and having no idea what was running through his mind. All she knew for sure was that he was smirking at her, a shit-eating grin just begging to spill across his lips.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she said, "Truth."

Cal flipped back his covers, turned sideways in the bed, and set his feet on the floor. Gillian watched from her spot on the couch, knowing any offer of help would be shot down. He slowly stood up with a wince and made his way over to a rolling chair. He sat down, and with one good shove from both legs, shot himself across the room in Gillian's direction.

She caught him with a giggle as he neared the couch, pushing him several feet away from her. She was no fool – she knew he got closer so he wouldn't miss anything on her face when he asked his question, but she was going to keep as much distance as possible.

Cal smiled cheekily at her, loving that he made her giggle and knowing she was distancing him on purpose.

"Alright, Gil. Why did you call yourself my business partner?" he asked with eager curiosity as he leaned back in his rolling chair, legs crossed and one arm sitting on the backrest. He couldn't wait to hear the answer to this.

_I should have gone with dare_, she thought, drumming her fingers on her knee. She focused on his eyes while he looked back at her, patient as could be; and she wondered if he could sense her heart rate rising. She took on a relaxed posture much like Cal's in an effort to calm herself and buy a few more seconds of time. Cal raised his eyebrows at her, waiting and refusing to say anything else until he got his answer.

She sighed and said, "Because I didn't know what else to call myself." She looked at him a moment, saw him furrow his brow and then said, "Truth or dare?"

"Now wait a minute – that's not an answer at all!" he complained, feeling slighted at the response he'd received.

"Sure it is. And if you ask anything else, it would count as another question. So, truth or dare?" she countered.

He narrowed his eyes at her and said with an annoyed tone, "Dare."

She smiled at him, knowing he was going to choose a dare. He'd never knowingly or willingly put himself in a position where he had to be completely truthful with anyone when he didn't want to be. He found his strength within his walls, and she knew he would never tear them down without prompting.

"I dare you to be completely truthful with me for a whole day. Tell me whatever you're thinking, when you're thinking it." She looked him directly in his eyes and could see he wanted to protest.

"I think that's a crap dare," he said.

"Good! You're already doing very well," she told him with a self-satisfied smile.

Scowling at her and thinking Gillian was right – this was a ridiculous game – he said with annoyance, "Truth or dare?"

Gillian considered her options again. She could either opt for truth and probably be further questioned about her business partner response, or go with a dare that Cal was sure to retaliate through for the dare she gave him.

"I really hate this game," she told him.

"I'm not a big fan myself at the moment," he replied.

"Dare," she said flatly.

"I hadn't expected that. Give me a moment," Cal told her. He looked around the room, feeling amused at his idea. "I dare you to get in that bed and stay there until the nurse gets back."

"What?" Gillian said with a laugh. "Cal that's ridiculous! Just like this damn game!"

"No matter," he said. "In you go!" When she only rolled her eyes at him he said, "Or you can do downward dog facin' away from me for, oh I don't know… A count of 10."

"Cal Lightman!" she said with eyes wide, pure shock registering on every inch of her beautiful face.

"So, the bed then?" he asked seriously.

She uncrossed her legs, walked past him with a glare, and got in bed, crossing her arms in front of her and her legs at the ankles.

Cal spun around in his chair and smiled at her. "Comfy?"

Not wanting to let him get the better of her she said, "Yes, actually. I should go change into my comfy clothes and then sit in this nice comfy bed." She scooted down into the mattress, reaching for the control to set herself up so she could see him. She placed her hands in her lap, leaned her head against the pillow, and said, "Truth or dare, Dr. Lightman?"

"I like when you call me doctor," he said suggestively as he stood from his chair, walking in her direction and stopping at the edge of the bed.

Pursing her lips at him, she again said, "Truth. Or dare?"

Licking his lips he said, "Truth. And move over." If he was requited to be completely honest with her anyway, he saw no point in further subjecting himself to her psychologist-inspired dares.

"Really? I hadn't expected that," she countered. "Wait, what?"

"I guess we're both getting surprises then, aren't we?" he said. "And I said move over. I'm getting back in bed."

"You absolutely are not!" she insisted, looking in his eyes and feeling with her hands how small the bed was.

"Oh yes I am, and seeing as how the nurse hasn't come back yet, you'll have to stay in bed as well. Now move over," he told her.

Gillian huffed at him but did as he asked. He climbed in bed next to her and, finding the space to be quite nicely limited, lifted his arm for her to scoot into him. Rolling her eyes with as much drama as possible, she scooted over and allowed him to drape his arm around her.

She sat there for a moment, acting like she was annoyed by the situation but actually quite enjoying the warmth of his body against hers, and thinking about the one question burning in her mind. "Why did you do what you did in the lab?"

Tipping his head to the side and looking at her he said, "I thought we had an appointment for 5 years from now to discuss that."

"We did," she simply said, hoping he wouldn't deflect again and examining the pretty pink on her toe nails.

Shaking his head slightly to himself, he told her, "I was hung-over, and still partially drunk."

"That's not why you did it. That's what gave you the iron balls to do it," she retorted.

"Iron balls? Bloody hell, Gil!" Cal said amazed at the expression she used.

Gillian simply smiled at him and said, "Answer my question."

Cal made a mental note never to play this game with a psychologist ever again. Then, swallowing, he looked at her, her face only inches from his, and said, "I thought you slept with him."

Her mouth dropped open, and she tried to respond, but no words would form in her brain. Instead, she sat there with a befuddled look on her face – mouth still open, brown knit together, breathing coming out in bursts of sighs and deep inhales at trying to comprehend how her sleeping with Mark would translate to Cal treating her like that. Finally she closed her mouth and bit her lip, still looking at him with her brow knit.

"Ease up or your face will stick like that," Cal warned.

Closing her eyes and releasing the tension she'd been holding in her forehead, she let out the breath she'd been holding.

Before she could say anything else to him, Julie walked in and Gillian turned her head toward the sound of the incoming footsteps.

"Oh!" Julie said with an upward inflection at seeing the two of them sitting in bed together, Cal's arm draped easily around Gillian as they looked at each other. She then humorously added, "Are you not feeling well, Gillian?"

"She volunteered to get anymore shots or whatnot that I might need. She's kind like that," Cal interjected with a squeeze of her shoulder.

Gillian looked down at his fingers wrapped around her arm and then over at him and saw that same look in his eyes that made her leave the room earlier. She tore her gaze from him and said to Julie, "I absolutely did not. But please, feel free to give him a shot with the biggest needle you've got."

"Oi! That's not very nice, love," Cal chided.

At hearing Cal call Gillian 'love,' Julie gave her a surprised look.

"Oh," Gillian said with a wave of her hand, "He calls everyone that."

"Mmmhmm," Julie said with an unconvinced look. Then she said to Cal, "I need to check your vitals one last time, and then no one will be in to bother you until tomorrow morning."

"I'll just get out of your way then!" Gillian quickly offered, taking the first opportunity to get out of bed. Cal was disappointed at the distance she so quickly put between them, but he didn't say anything and plastered a cocky look on his face as if he were pleased with himself for getting that close to her in the first place.

After Julie left, a silence fell over the room. Gillian found herself denying the meaning of the look Cal had given her twice now, and Cal was wrestling with what to say to her. Finally he spoke.

"I've got one more question for you."

Shaking her head and sitting in the rolling chair Cal was previously sitting in, she said, "I'm done with the game."

"Fine. Off the record then," he said, causing her to look at him. "Will you give me the magic formula now?" There was something in his eyes akin to desperation. He really wanted her forgiveness.

She smiled sweetly at him and said, "I already did."

Furrowing his brow, he watched as she got up and walked out of the room. He hung his head and wondered what she was talking about and why she was leaving yet again.

Once in the hallway, she wondered why she kept running away from him. She stopped just outside his door, her hand on the doorframe, and wondered if it was because of the look, or maybe because she thought he was really going to try to ruin things with Mark for no good reason, or maybe because she was just afraid to let him that close. Her heart skipped a beat at her last thought. She was so scared of being hurt by him. He was very dear to her, and as a result the hurt he caused her cut much deeper than the disappointment and pain she received from others. She could survive heartbreak from others. It hurt like hell, but she always found the strength to go on. If Cal were to hurt her like that though, she wasn't sure she'd be able to breathe, let alone put on a mask and walk around as if she were fine.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she peeked her head back in to see him sitting in the bed, staring at the sheets deep in thought. She thought of how nice it was to be close to him and regretted moving away at her first opportunity. She could have still been sitting by his side, but instead she was getting ready to run again. She silently scolded herself.

"Hey," she said, causing him to look up. "You want to get some fresh air?"

He looked surprised that she was still there and said, "I'd love some."

"Come on," she said, pulling her head to the side indicating for him to get up.

He cautiously stood, wincing a bit at again using his core muscles to pull himself up.

"Ok?" she asked worriedly.

"Golden," he said as he neared her. He stopped just a couple feet short of her and held out his hand for her to lead the way.

* * *

><p>AN: Let me know if you're still out there after such an extended wait!


	8. Chasing Shadows

A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews last chapter! I'm glad you're still out there. : ) This picks up right where Fun and Games left off, so I've included the very end here again in italics for context's sake. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><em>From Last Time:<em>

_"Hey," she said, causing him to look up. "You want to get some fresh air?"_

_ He looked surprised that she was still there and said, "I'd love some."_

_"Come on," she said, pulling her head to the side indicating for him to get up._

_He cautiously stood, wincing a bit at again using his core muscles to pull himself up._

_"Ok?" she asked worriedly._

_"Golden," he said as he neared her. He stopped just a couple feet short of her and held out his hand for her to lead the way._

She looked in his eyes for a moment and smiled, walking into the hallway and waiting for him to come up next to her. They casually and silently walked through the hallways, eventually coming to a door that led to a grassy courtyard with benches. Gillian picked one that left the sun at their backs and they both sat down, taking in the relatively quiet scene. There were several others occupying benches while reading or talking on the phone, and a few people sitting in the grass talking with one another.

"If you forget that we're at a hospital because you were in an accident, this is actually quite nice," Gillian said while watching a couple walk back inside, hand in hand.

Cal followed her gaze to the couple and guessed she was thinking of Mark. "It's not bad. I'm sure there's other places you'd rather be though." He paused a moment, looking over at her as she cast her gaze down to her lap without saying a word or changing her expression.

Finally she simply shook her head, then raised her eyes to meet his and said, "As long as you're here, there's no where else I'd rather be and nothing that's more important than this." She nodded at him to punctuate her statement and looked away again.

Cal highly doubted that was all true, but he didn't question her on it again.

"Well it is certainly a welcome change from that bloody room. 'Bout to lose my mind in there, I'm sure." Then, looking over at her again and watching how the sun caught her features as she looked around, he added, "You look good in the sun."

Gillian gave him a 'yeah, ok...' look and shook her head at him.

"Well it's true. Ask any bloke out here – they'll tell you the same!" Cal said, raising his voice. "Look, that guy over there. He's checkin' you out anyway. Go ask him!"

"Ok, Cal!" she said to get him to lower his voice. "I get your point. Thank you. Can we talk about something else?"

Cal shot a dirty look to the guy across the courtyard that kept checking Gillian out. "Nah, I think I'm about done out here. Let's go back in," he said as he stood.

"What? No!" Gillian protested, maintaining her spot on the bench. "I've been sitting in that room for nearly 24 hours. I am not going back in," she firmly told him.

Seeing the guy across the way eagerly waiting for him to leave, and knowing Gillian was all but oblivious to it, he added, "Well my ribs are givin' me a hurtin'. At least walk me back in, yeah?"

Gillian furrowed her brow at him. "Since when are you such a baby? Last time you were in the hospital you checked yourself out with a concussion. Now you can't walk yourself back to your room because of a sore rib?"

Cal glanced over his shoulder at the guy again and said with irritation, "Fine. Sit here and be bait."

He stormed off and left Gillian mumbling to herself, "Bait? What is he walking about?" and wondering what had set him off like that.

"Hi. Is this seat taken?" a voice asked her.

Gillian looked to where Cal had been sitting and saw a muscular, incredibly sexy man waiting to take a seat next to her. She looked back to the door and watched it close as Cal walked away. _Ahh, bait,_ she thought. _So that little fit would have been fueled by jealousy._

"I was actually just leaving, but feel free to sit here," Gillian told the man with a smile as she watched disappointment cross his face. She got up and went after Cal, knowing if she hurried that she'd be able to catch him waiting for the elevator.

As she rounded the corner, she slowed her pace, seeing him standing right where she'd expected. He looked over at her, his eyes dark and his face set in jealous anger, before looking back to the door.

Gillian, thankful no one else was waiting to go up, waited until they were in the elevator and the door closed before she looked at him and said, "Really – since when are you such a baby?"

He looked at her, fuming, but didn't say a word.

"Someone looks at me and you throw a fit?" She turned her eyes to the numbers, watching as they neared their floor. "It seems like that should be something Mark would do. I am dating _him_ after all."

From the corner of her eye she saw him very slowly turn toward her again. She could have sworn steam was rolling out of his ears.

_I'm very bloody fuckin' aware that you are dating _him_,_ Cal thought.

They stayed like that in silence for the next several seconds until the elevator chimed signaling they had arrived. Gillian walked out and headed to the left.

"Room's this way," Cal said, irritation, jealousy, and frustration rolling off his tongue with each syllable.

Continuing to walk away from him, she called over her shoulder, "I'm aware of that."

Cal flared his nostrils and looked in the direction of his room. _What the hell am I supposed to do? Follow her? Or leave her alone?_ "Fuck," he muttered under his breath, amazed at his ability to make her mad without even trying.

Just then, he heard someone say, "Follow her."

He looked around, wondering where the intrusion had come from. His eyes connected with Julie's.

"Follow her," she said again while enunciating her words and nodding. "Before she gets so far that you can't find her."

"Who asked you?" Cal said. He really couldn't stand this nurse.

"The silent questions rolling around in your clearly empty brain. I'm not joking. You need to follow her, and she's probably made about four turns by now, so good luck finding her." With that, Julie stood, gathered a few files and walked next to him.

"Do you know what she did the whole time you were unconscious?" Cal looked at her. She was intently looking in his eyes when she said, "She sat by your side, held your hand with her fingers laced in yours, and was a support system for your daughter." She looked at him a moment and assumed he wasn't listening because his face never changed. His insides though, those were bouncing around like he was on a trampoline. Gillian had told him she was there the whole time, but having someone else tell him the same thing made it somehow more real.

She shook her head at him and said, "Look, it's really none of my business," at that Cal raised his eyebrows in agreement which she ignored, "but as soon as you woke up, she was half way across the room. That means she's either in denial about what she's feeling or she thinks you won't reciprocate. So unless you want to confirm those thoughts for her or push her further into denial, get your ass moving!"

Cal drew his head back at the force in her words. _Why the hell does my nurse care about this?_, he wondered. "For your information, she's got a boyfriend. So I'm not sure where you're gettin' your intel, but I'm pretty sure it's a little bit off," he said, holding his thumb and forefinger out with a small distance between them.

"You've never been in love with someone while you were in a relationship with someone else?" she questioned him. The surprise on his face made her smile and she said calmly, "That's what I thought." Then with more force she added, "Now get your ass moving!"

###############

Cal was about to give up. He'd looked in every room not occupied by a patient trying to find Gillian. He wouldn't put it past her to visit with someone she didn't know, but he wasn't about to go looking in every person's room. He was sure he'd get an eye full of something he didn't want. _And if she went to a different floor…_ Well there was just no way he was checking every room in the hospital! _Abso-bloody-lutely not,_ he said to himself.

That was when he saw it. A little blue sign with white lettering that read 'Library' with an arrow pointing down a short hall. He staggered the short distance, his ribs now throbbing from all the walking and twisting to look into rooms, and there he found her – legs curled up under her in an oversized chair, a book on the armrest with one hand holding the pages open while the other cradled her chin, and sunlight from a high window washing over her. She looked positively beautiful, and he felt his chest go warm.

He cleared his throat as he walked in, causing her to peer up at him from her book, moving only her eyes in his direction. After looking at him for a moment, she returned her eyes to the page, finished reading her current section, and closed the book. She sat it on the table next to her and noticed Cal was rubbing his ribs.

"How did you find me?" she asked, attempting to sound as if she didn't really care.

"I looked in nearly every room," he told her.

She laughed shortly, but the smile faded from her face when she saw he was serious.

"Is that why you're holding your side?" she asked, concern creeping up in her question.

"Just a little sore. Nothin' serious. I do need to sit though," he murmured as he took a chair across the room from her. It wasn't a huge room, but it was big enough that she felt like he was too far away to talk to him. Since no one else was in the room however, she stayed seated.

She looked up at the clock and realized she'd been there about twenty minutes, so he must have started looking for her right after she left the elevator. She had assumed he'd go back to his room and enjoy not having her around for a while; but instead he'd spent all that time looking for her, which she found intriguing.

"I can't believe you were actually looking for me the whole time," she said.

He looked up at her and said, "Yeah." _Me neither._ "Well you were upset and all."

Gillian cocked her head. "Usually you leave me alone when I'm mad at you."

"Maybe I'm tryin' to make some changes," he offered up as an explanation.

She untucked her legs from beneath her and put one foot on the floor, crossing the other leg over her knee while looking at him and considering his words.

"Besides," he added, "My dare isn't even close to bein' up, and if you're not around how can I tell you what I'm thinkin' when I'm thinkin' it?"

That drew a smile from her for which he was grateful.

"You're not doing very well with that, by the way. If you were, instead of throwing a little fit you'd have told me outside that there was someone looking at me and you didn't like it or it bothered you or whatever it was you were feeling," she told him.

Cal considered her words for a moment, then said, "Gillian, there was a bloke outside rippin' your clothes off with his mind, and I didn't like it."

Gillian laughed at him. "And what about now? Do you have any honesty to share?"

He looked around, taking in their surroundings. "I quite like this room. Reminds me of my study."

Gillian sighed, which Cal noticed. _This isn't at all what I had in mind when I told him to be honest._

"What was that for?" he questioned her. "You said to tell you what I'm thinkin', when I'm thinkin' it. And right now, I'm thinkin' this is a cozy little room that reminds me of my study."

"That's it? You're not thinking anything else?" she wondered aloud.

Cal contorted his face into a thinking look, held it for a moment and said, "Nope. Empty up there aside from that."

He watched as a sad expression spread across her face, and he wished he knew what she wanted from him, what it was she thought he should be thinking. In truth, he wasn't thinking anything – he was only feeling; but how was he supposed to explain the ache in his chest or how he felt drained of all energy when he saw her with another man? How was he supposed to explain that he got chills when she brushed up against him or how warm he felt after they hugged? How could he ever make her understand the profound, lasting, desperate need he felt whenever she was around? And how could he ever make her understand how it multiplied infinitely when she left?

He never thought about these things. They were physical responses he couldn't control – lack of energy, cold and warmth, the tightness in his chest. They all left him wanting her, but he never thought about it. The physical reminders were enough to remind him that he could never have her.

"What do you consider Mark?" he asked abruptly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Is he your boyfriend?" he asked while trying to remain as casual as possible.

Gillian considered his question for a moment then thought with a small smile, _So that's what you're thinking._ She'd been sitting there, watching the wheels turn in his mind as he thought something over. She knew even with her dare that he would never tell her everything he was thinking, but she hoped he would be a little more honest.

"I wouldn't call him my boyfriend. We've only gone out a few times, and it's not like we talk every day. So I guess I'd just say we're dating," she told him.

Cal thought she didn't seem satisfied at all that he'd asked her that; and he wondered again what exactly it was that she wanted him to tell her. He was tired of being in the dark with her so much, always thinking he knows what she wants or needs, but not even being close. He felt like he was playing tag with a shadow when the sun was low and casting long, camouflage darkness across the landscape.

"What are you thinking? Right now," she asked him quietly, seeing his mind spinning again.

He looked at her, feeling hopeless to ever catch what he's after, desperate to hold her in his arms and doomed to never be more than what he is now – a friend that's too far away from good relationship material.

Giving her a sad smile he said, "I think I'm chasin' shadows."

He got up and left the room, leaving Gillian to look after him, puzzled at his words.

"Hey!" she called after him before the door closed. He peeked his head back in the door and she said sincerely, "Thank you for looking for me."

"I'd follow you anywhere, love," he told her with an intent look.

Gillian leaned her head back against the chair after he was gone again and looked up at the ceiling, feeling suddenly empty as a coolness seemed to settle over the room.

* * *

><p>As luck would have it, my work system is currently down, so I'm off to work on Chapter 9! Lucky you.<p> 


	9. Going Home

A/N: Please forgive the jump in time... I'm sure some of you will be disappointed with it, but it fits with my timeline and where I want things to occur. So, bear with me.

* * *

><p>The following morning, a doctor came in and told Cal that since he hadn't had any problems through the night, he was clear to go home early that afternoon.<p>

"'Bout bloody time!" was all Cal had to say, earning a big eye roll from Gillian.

"Thank you," Gillian told the doctor. "Is there anything he needs to do at home for his cracked ribs?"

"Lots of rest," the doctor said looking at Cal. "I can only assume based on your attitude that you're not going to listen to me, but please get some rest. As long as there's no physical activity involved, you can go to work in a couple days."

Seeing a warning glare coming from Gillian, Cal sarcastically responded, "Yes, doctor."

"I'll also send you home with a prescription for the pain. You should be fully healed in a few weeks. Take it easy until then." The doctor scribbled something on a pad and added, "I'll have Julie come up with your prescription in a few minutes."

After the doctor excused himself, Cal looked at Gillian and said, "You'll be free soon!"

Quirking an eyebrow, she said, "Free? I could have left at any point, Cal. I chose to stay."

"Why is that?" he asked, crawling out of bed with a wince.

Walking over to help him stand, she wrapped one arm around his back and laid the other gently on his stomach, his arm over her shoulder and one hand resting on his ribs. She then said while looking at him, "Because I know you won't ask for help."

He looked over at her, knowing she was right but hoping that wasn't the only reason she stayed.

They were physically closer than they'd been since the incident in the lab, and Gillian's heart skipped a beat at the way he was looking at her. He was grateful, relieved even, that she hadn't left him alone; and yet he seemed sad.

Being so close to him and seeing that look in his eyes, she couldn't help herself. She quietly added, "And I had to know you were ok. There was no way I could leave you like that."

Seeing her closing herself off again when he didn't respond, Cal quickly kissed her on the cheek before the door was completely shut. She smiled warmly at him as he moved to stand on his own two feet. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and hold him close. She watched as he made his way around the room, favoring the side without the cracked ribs just a bit, but otherwise walking completely normal.

"Looking good!" a voice came from the doorway.

They both looked over to see Julie walking in the room.

"Got your meds," she said as she shook the bottle before setting them on the table. "You'll be out of here at one this afternoon! So order up some lunch and by the time it gets here and you eat, I'll be back with your discharge papers."

Gillian voiced Cal's thanks for him, and then sat down to order a cab to meet them at the hospital shortly after one.

"Only one cab?" Cal asked, sitting down on the couch for a change of scenery.

"No sense ordering two. Your house is on the way to mine from here. We'll drop you off and I'll head home," Gillian explained.

Cal nodded his agreement, and then something dawned on him. "Where's my car?" he asked.

"Probably a junk yard," Gillian said. She looked up to see Cal waiting for further explanation. "You need a new car."

"That bad?" Cal wondered.

"That bad," Gillian confirmed.

An odd mixture of guilt and sadness crossed Cal's features, so she added, "You're ok. That's all that matters."

"I loved that car," he said with a pained expression on his face.

Gillian chuckled to herself and he said, "Well I did!"

###############

The taxi pulled up to Cal's house around 1:30, and they both crawled out.

"Really, Gil. I don't need you to come in. All I've got is what I'm wearin'. It's not like there are bags to carry or somethin'."

Ducking her head back inside, she told the driver, "I'll just be a minute."

"Really?" he asked her, annoyed at the hovering behavior. All he had to do was walk inside...

"Yes," she assured him.

Cal pulled out his wallet and handed the driver some cash.

"Cal, you don't have to do that," she told him. "I can pay him when I get to my place."

"Least I can do for your time spent," he told her as he straightened up again, holding his pain in so he didn't have to see her give him a look of 'See? You need me to help you in.' "Come on then. See me in if you must."

Making her way through the house, Gillian gathered the things she needed to make up the couch for Cal. Considering he'd spent the last couple days in bed, she knew the last thing he was going to do was lay in bed some more.

"Ok," she said when she was finished, "The couch is all set. Go sit and relax like the doctor told you."

As she was walking back toward the door, Cal grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She glanced back at him, question on her face, and he looked in her eyes for a few moments before pulling her into a gentle hug. He found it difficult to give a proper hug with pain radiating from his side, so he only wrapped one arm around her.

Gillian wrapped her arms fully around him, making sure not to squeeze too tightly but very much enjoying being close to him again. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, tipping her head toward him slightly as she fought to take in the moment – the accident was nearly over, he was home and he was getting better, and he was ok.

Feeling the half-hug she received, Gillian pulled back and lightly placed her right hand on his ribs before looking in his eyes again. She was finding it somewhat difficult to breathe at being so close to him and her eyes flicked to his lips.

"You're in pain," she said with concern.

He confirmed her statement with a small nod.

"Go sit down," she urged him. She knew full well he'd never admit to being in pain unless it was really bad. The bumpy ride in the taxi must have done it.

He held on to her for a moment longer, not wanting to let her go, especially when he knew she was going home to wait for Mark. He leaned in and placed a chaste kiss at the corner of her mouth, earning a smile from her before she pulled away. After watching her walk to the kitchen and grab a glass, he headed for the couch, wondering why he tortured himself with kisses like that. They were as close as he dared, but not close enough to fulfill any desires.

The first time he tried to sit down, the pain took his breath away. He stood back up instantly, waiting until he had control over his breath to try again. The second time, he bent at the knees, trying to lower himself as close as possible before bending at the waist. He all but gave up and just flopped on the couch, breathing heavily as he scrunched his eyes shut while waiting for pain to stop shooting up and down his side.

Gillian walked into the den with a glass of water and the bottle of pain pills. Stopping next to him, she said, "Here," and handed him the glass. She then handed him a single pill which he swallowed within seconds.

He mumbled out a, "Thanks," and sank into the couch, trying to find a comfortable position.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" she asked, running the backs of her fingers down his cheek and now feeling very concerned about him at seeing the thin film of sweat rising on his brow.

"I'm sure. Emily will be home later," he reassured her, still not wanting to let her go but also not wanting to take more of her time.

"Ok, but I'm only a phone call away if you need me. I better go before the taxi leaves," she replied.

"Come back in if he's left," he said, his eyes becoming heavy as they threatened to close.

"Ok," she whispered before pressing a kiss to his temple.

She smiled lovingly at him and made her way out to the taxi that was, to her surprise, still waiting for her.

###############

Walking into her home, Gillian closed the door and stopped just inside. Kicking her shoes off, she looked at the photo by the door and she was instantly glad she didn't let it hit the floor the night of the accident. She always loved that picture. It was taken at some event she and Cal had gone to. She was in a blue dress with her arm resting on Cal's shoulder and he was in a 3-piece suit, looking as good as ever with his arm around her waist. She shook her head to herself, not believing she'd even thought of letting it shatter.

She walked down the hall to her bedroom, passing another picture with Cal in it on the way. Upon entering her bedroom, she found one more – another of her favorites. It was a fluke, actually. He'd been at her house, laughing at her for not knowing all the features of her new camera, when the camera went off and captured it – a full on, all the way up to his eyes, genuine smile. She picked up the frame and smiled back at the picture.

Putting it down, she thought back to what Emily had said to her in the car. She walked out to her living room and was amazed at all the pictures of Cal. She then wondered what Mark would think whenever he came to her house. She thought it funny that Cal assumed they'd already slept together when they'd only ever met in public places. Then, her mind going back to the pictures, she considered taking a few of them down.

She walked around her home, counting six pictures in all that Cal was in. She grabbed each of them and took them to her kitchen table where she laid them out, trying to pick a couple she could put away. The smile and the one by the door had to stay. Of that she was sure. There was one of the two of them by The Lightman Group sign, one of them at a convention she'd drug him too, another of him by himself with a look that was so very Cal – it practically begged her to jump in the picture, and one where they were both making silly faces. She laughed at the last one and decided that, along with the convention photo could be put away.

Putting the photos back where they belonged and sticking the extra two in a drawer, she looked at the clock and noticed she'd been home reminiscing with photos and rearranging for nearly two hours. Remembering how long it had been since she'd been home – and therefore showered – she suddenly felt a great urge to get in the shower. Climbing in, she breathed a sigh of relief that Cal was home and things could start falling back into a normal rhythm.

###############

Opening his eyes, Cal could tell right away the pain pill he'd taken had kicked in. He sat up without too much trouble and listened to the silence of the house around him. He tested out the limits of his ribs, filling his lungs enough to call out to see if Emily was home without much effort. No response. He ran his hands over his face and looked toward the clock. If he remembered correctly, it had been a couple hours since Gillian left. He looked at the glass of water on the table, and vaguely remembered her kissing him before she left.

He thought back over the last couple days – the incident, the fight, the hospital. He really couldn't believe she'd stayed at the hospital with him after what he'd done and how angry she was. She'd slapped him! She'd never done that before, so that only further proved how livid she was with him. And yet there she was when he woke up, holding his hand and not more than three feet away.

He felt a new pain form, not from his ribs but further up in his chest. Normally he'd deny it, but since he was alone and there was no chance of anyone seeing him, he admitted to himself that it was his heart. Unlike several days ago when his ears were bombarded with giggling, he could precisely label what he was feeling: fear.

Fear that he was losing her.

Fear that she would reject him.

Fear that he might never even try because of the fear of rejection.

Then he remembered his dare. According to the clock, it didn't expire for another few hours. He sat up on the edge of the couch and reached for the pill bottle. Carefully standing, he pulled his phone from his pocket and called a cab. He then headed upstairs to change his clothes, being sure to shove the pill bottle in his new jeans. Then, he called Emily.

"Em, when did you say you were comin' home?"

"In about an hour," she replied.

"You can stay a while longer if you like. I just woke up and I'm leavin'," he explained.

"No, you're not! I knew I should have come home right when you left the hospital. Dad, don't go anywhere," she warned him.

"It's already done, Em. Cab's on the way," he told her. "I'm just goin' to Gillian's."

She chuckled and shook her head. "Finally going to tell her?"

Knowing the pain meds were blurring the sharpness of his mind, he opted for a simple, "We'll see." Just then, the cab pulled up and he added, "Gotta go, love. Call me when you're headed home."

"Tell her!" Emily yelled into her phone before she heard the line die. She looked at her phone with a sigh, wondering if today might finally be the day.

* * *

><p>Who's excited?<p> 


	10. Confessions

A/N: Because I was feeling nice, here's the next chapter. Enjoy. And I know you will. ; )

* * *

><p>Gillian stood in her closet debating what to wear. It was heading into evening so pajamas really appealed to her; but she wasn't sure she wanted to be in pajamas incase Mark did decide to come over tonight.<p>

_That would probably be rather inviting. Though what's wrong with that?_, she asked herself. _I am dating him after all…_

Her mind flicked to Cal and she pictured him lying on the couch. She rationalized to herself that she needed to be available to him, just incase something went wrong that Emily wasn't able to handle.

_Jeans. Definitely jeans._

She pulled them on, ignoring the fact that she favored the thought of Cal needing her over seeing Mark, and pulled on a t-shirt. She ran her fingers through her still damp locks, and her ears perked at the sound of a knock on her door.

She sighed to herself, not at all in the mood to see Mark. She walked down the hallway, pausing at the door to put on a happy face before opening it.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, an element of shock in her voice. "You're supposed to be on your couch, or in bed!"

"You wanna know why I did what I did in the lab? You want an explanation?" Cal asked, getting right to the point.

"I didn't realize five years had passed," she quipped, shifting her weight to one leg.

"I'm serious, Gil," he told her, his face reflecting that he was indeed very serious.

"Ok. Come in," she said while opening the door and walking back inside.

He closed the door and found Gillian facing him with her shoulder leaned against a wall in the living room, just like the night of the accident. This time, she didn't speak; but, now much less angry with him, her expression was softer as she surveyed his wounds from a distance, doing her best to maintain an appearance of indifference so as not to show how excited she was that it was him at her door.

He leaned against the wall next to her, his shoulder pressed against it, mirroring her posture so he was looking at her. He swallowed one last time before beginning.

"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for the things I've said and done to you; and not just from the last few days, but for the entire length of time I've known you," he told her.

She looked at him, skeptical but very curious about what he had to say. She was surprised to see him looking completely honest – no mask, no guise to hide behind. He looked tired and worn, and completely human.

"There've been times I've treated you so badly, and I am truly sorry. I'm supposed to be your friend, and you deserve so much more than what I've given you."

She remained silent, wondering if he was telling her this because of the dare from the hospital. She ran a hand down her neck, indicating to him she was at least listening to what he had to say.

"You remember that case with Jim or Paul or whatever his name ended up bein'?" he vaguely asked.

"George Parker," she said flatly, looking down at the floor wondering both what he had to do with anything and at her ability to know what Cal meant when he'd said practically nothing at all.

"Right," he said while gesturing toward her. "You told me that maybe I didn't try hard enough to get close to you when you were on the rebound," he watched her turn her face toward him again. "Did you mean that?" he asked once he had view of her eyes.

He watched her face closely, not wanting to rely solely on her words.

A battle started to wage inside her. Regardless of how he'd acted since the accident, Cal had been so cold toward her over the last several months; but he seemed so vulnerable now. Maybe it was the bruise that still covered the side of his face, but she was sure it had more to do with his eyes. They seemed sincere.

"Yes," she told him, still looking back at him.

He nodded at her, seeing that was the truth. Regret filled his heart as he thought of all the lost time and missed opportunities.

"And what you said when you were on that date with him. Did you mean that?"

She thought back to what she'd said. _Underneath all that stuff is an amazing, funny, interesting mind._ "Yes."

Again, the truth.

Cal popped himself off the wall and walked a couple steps toward her, stopping far enough away that he didn't think he'd be invading her space, but close enough that they both had a very good view of each other.

"Tell me you don't care. Tell me you don't feel anythin' beyond friendship, and I won't interfere with your datin' people anymore. Even if it's not true, tell me. Lie to me. I'll never know. My vision is so blurred when it comes to you. It's always been bad, but it's gotten worse. So just lie. And I'll never bother you about it again."

Stepping into him so they were now in each other's personal space and only a foot apart, Gillian looked directly into his eyes, establishing a freeway of information that flowed between them. She allowed her walls to fall away so he could read her without any trouble. He tipped his head to the other side and his eyes started to dance over her face and she could tell he could see everything.

She was tired of the games, tired of all the shit that came with it. She just wanted to be happy, and she didn't want to feel manipulated anymore. What she wanted was raw honesty.

"Cal," she whispered, bringing his eyes back to hers. "Do you love me?"

Cal's face stayed one hundred percent neutral even as her question threw his insides into chaos. He was completely unprepared for her to ask him that question. He had assumed once he worked up the courage that he'd just come out with it, and then run if necessary. But here she was, patiently waiting for a response from him.

"Do you love him?" he deflected, referring to Mark.

"Don't do that. I'm finished with the games. I'm tired of always wondering about the lingering glances, standing so close, and the pure jealousy when you see me with another man. You know me better than anyone in the world, even if you can't read me most of the time. And I'd like to think I know you pretty well, but you always keep that one card so close to your chest. Sometimes it starts to fall away, but as soon as someone catches a glimpse of it, you snap it back to your chest again. What does it all mean, Cal? Just tell me. Lie to _me_, if you want to, but I have to know either way. Do you have any feelings beyond friendship for me?" Her eyes were pleading with him, begging for him not to deflect again and just answer the question.

He took in her words, letting them sink deep in his ears. She was right, of course, about the glances, their proximity, and his jealousy. It all added up to that one card, his ace in the hole that he always thought was the end of the game; but what if he was wrong? And why did he have to answer her questions first?

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs as completely as his battered ribs would allow, calming and centering himself.

"What I have for you," he began as he looked deep in her eyes, "is a desperate need. I _have_ to have you in my life. And when some bloke comes around and threatens that, I don't like it. It makes me act like a child, like some other kid is takin' away my favorite toy."

She narrowed her eyes slightly at his analogy. "Just because I'm dating someone doesn't mean I'm going anywhere, Cal," she said.

"But it changes everythin'. And it makes my bein' this close to you," he pointed between them, "inappropriate. And it means I can't have what I want, and we both know how selfish I am."

She raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for further explanation.

Stepping into her further, leaving mere inches between them, Cal watched her draw her head back slightly as her blue eyes sparkled with interest and glued themselves to his.

"The thing is Gil, this has been more than platonic for me for a long time."

Gillian felt her heart skip a beat.

"Every time I see you with someone, I get insanely jealous. And forget if I see them touch you…" he trailed off as his mind went back to the kiss he'd witnessed.

Gillian was doing everything possible to maintain even breathing, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Still, she managed to ask, "Why?" rather evenly.

He reached out for her hand and ran his thumb over the back of it as he said, "Because it should be me. I want it to be me."

There were tears rising in her eyes now as years of pent up emotion swelled within her, threatening to come out whether she liked it or not.

Seeing her eyes brimming, Cal added, "Yes, I love you. I have for as long as I can remember, and if I have to see you with one more–"

Gillian cut him off by putting her finger on his lips and shaking her head. She was still choking down tears, but she managed to say, "You don't have to."

Cal took her hand away from his lips with his free hand and pulled her into him, pressing their lips together in a slow, tender kiss as he pushed her shoulder, rolling her back against the wall and stepping in front of her. He was careful though not to push his body into hers too much for fear of her fulfilling her promise of kneeing him between the legs.

Gillian wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her hands through his hair, amused at the small distance Cal was maintaining between them. She broke their kiss, licking her lips as she looked at him with a smile that was so very Gillian.

Pushing him away from her, earning a confused look from him in the process, she grabbed his shirt, turned him around, and pushed him against the wall as she fully, but gently, pressed her body against his and started kissing him again.

Cal groaned in approval and wrapped his arms around her, running his hands up and down her back. He ran his tongue over her lips just in time to her cell phone ring. They both stilled, and when it rang again, she gave him one more peck and said, "I better get that."

Not willing to relinquish his hold on the woman he'd just spilled his heart to, he said, "Let it go to voicemail."

She bit the inside of her cheek and said, "It's Mark's ringtone."

"Double let it go to voicemail," Cal replied, wishing the bloke would just disappear from her life.

He'd stalled her long enough that the phone chimed letting them know she missed the call. She looked at him disapprovingly and sighed when the phone started ringing again.

"Just let me answer it, Cal. I can't avoid him," she sighed.

"You could," he replied.

She pushed herself away from him in time to answer the phone before she missed it again.

"Hello? Hi, Mark. How was your meeting?" She paused as she listened to his response. "Oh! Wow, that was unexpected. You'll be here in five minutes?" she asked as she looked at Cal, anger rising in his features. "Sure. See you in a minute."

She hung up the phone and looked at him. "Apparently you were right – he was planning on seeing me tonight."

"I gathered," Cal said flatly as he headed for the door, and Gillian's heart sank.

"Where are you going?" she asked as she followed him. "He's not going to stay. I'll explain everything and he'll leave." She knew that probably wasn't true, but she didn't want Cal to leave, couldn't stand for him to leave. Not now, not after everything he'd just told her.

"No man is gonna give you up that easy, love," he said.

"Plenty have," she said, feeling hurt at watching him walk away from her. Her heart all but broke as he reached for the door. "I just never thought you'd be one of them."

He froze and furrowed his brow at her, concerned at the hurt lacing her tone. Then, completely serious, he said, "I'm _not_ givin' you up." He held eye contact with her to make sure she understood there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that he was leaving. When he was sure she understood, he lightly said, "I'm goin' to stand in your driveway." He opened the door and walked outside.

Gillian's eyes went wide. "Cal," she said walking out after him. "Cal!" She grabbed his arm and stood in front of him. "You still have some cracked ribs, remember? Why don't you go back inside so you don't do something stupid," she requested.

Just then, Mark pulled in.

Gillian inhaled deeply and said, "Cal, please go inside."

He looked in her eyes and said, "No." Then, knowing he was only going to further get himself hurt, he added, "But I will stand right here. For now."

She nodded, indicating that was a sufficient compromise, and walked half way to Mark's car.

* * *

><p>Ahh, the moment we've all been waiting for! : ) Now, how do you all feel about smut? Ok with it? I'm going to work some in that I hadn't originally planned on, but it will extend the life of the story, so hopefully you're ok with that. If anyone is put off by it, let me know. I can mark it somehow so you can read around it if you like.<p>

And _finally_ the title makes sense!


	11. Claim & Defend, Always

A/N: We broke 100 reviews! That's quite a milestone. Thank you so much for taking the time to review after you read, however long or short. I appreciate you taking the time to read at all, and the fact that some of you take the time to let me know what you think means a lot to me.

That being said, I have to apologize. You guys are going to revolt at the end of this chapter. I'm sorry! It was the best stopping point.

* * *

><p>"Hello, gorgeous!" Mark said to Gillian as he got out of his car.<p>

She smiled at him and said hello back, maintaining a distance far enough that she hoped would avoid a hug, or worse – a kiss. The last thing she needed was a fist fight in her driveway, especially when Cal was still healing.

No such luck though. She watched as he approached her with a smile, her heart beginning to pound as she remembered Cal's words: _If I have to see you with one more–_

She'd assured him he wouldn't have to, and with every step Mark took toward her she felt that promise breaking. She looked over her shoulder with concern in her eyes, and found Cal looking back at her with some mixture of anger and possessiveness, making her heart flutter.

"What's he doing here?" Mark casually asked as he followed Gillian's gaze and nodded toward Cal who was staring at him, his hands shoved deep in his pockets to stop himself from doing something stupid, as Gillian so expertly put it.

Gillian sighed, partly from relief that the distraction of Cal had prevented any contact, but also partly because she had no idea where to begin. "We had something we needed to talk about."

Mark nodded and asked, "Work?"

Gillian blinked at him. She thought about lying, but figured it would just be faster and more respectful to tell the truth. "No, not work. We were, um, talking about us," she said, uncharacteristically stumbling over her words.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You and me?" he asked, skepticism in his voice.

"No," she said in a hushed tone. "Us, as in me…and him."

"Huh," Mark said as he kicked his jaw to the side. "Well now I think he and I have something to talk about," he added as he brushed past Gillian, quickly walking in Cal's direction.

Cal pulled his hands from his pockets, readying himself for an instant punch headed his way. That is, after all, what he would do if he came home from a trip to find some other man at Gillian's home.

"How ya doin'?" Mark asked as he quickly approached Cal.

"Good as gold, mate," Cal easily replied.

"Yeah, I bet you are," Mark replied suspiciously. "I assume you got what you came here for. Why don't you get out of here?"

"Oh I'm not goin' anywhere," Cal said, knowing full well Mark was assuming he'd slept with Gillian.

"Really?" Mark asked, his anger increasing. Cal glanced down to see Mark's hands clenched in white-knuckle fists.

"Mark," Gillian said, causing him to turn around to look at her.

"You and I will talk in a minute," Mark snapped at her with a point of his finger, causing her eyes to go wide.

"Oi, mate," Cal said, his protective instincts kicking in, "There's no need for that." He took a step forward.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" Mark challenged him, examining the bruise on the side of his face and knowing he'd still be sore from the accident. "Or are you on such a tight leash already that you promised you'd behave?"

Cal bared his teeth, wishing he didn't have cracked ribs so he could wail on the sad excuse of a man that stood before him. He didn't care that Mark was a whole head taller than him – the adrenaline pumping through his veins at the way he'd talked to Gillian would certainty get the job done.

"You know I've taken her on three dates," Mark said pointing to Gillian who was now standing at the side of them, "and she still hasn't spread? You come over and she just lies down like a whore!"

Gillian opened her mouth to yell something, anything at him, but Cal beat her to it.

In a blind rage of adrenaline, Cal took the last step toward Mark, cocked his fist, sucker-punched him in the stomach, and hit him square in the jaw, knocking Mark flat on his back and ignoring the rip of pain that shot through his side. Cal stood over him, grabbed a fist full of his shirt and said through gritted teeth, "Don't you _dare_ say a word against her. You don't deserve anyone that's half of what she is. You're a piece of garbage!"

He shoved him back into the ground, walking to Gillian and placing his right hand on her waist, holding his left arm tight to his body. She looked hurt and angry at Mark's words, and yet pleased that Cal had stood up for her.

"Alright?" Cal asked her. She silently nodded at him and they both watched as Mark got to his feet, his jaw already swelling.

"I can't believe you'd choose this prick over me," Mark spouted off, pressing his fingers to what promised to be a big, long-lasting bruise.

"You don't even know him!" Gillian said, offended at his words and not believing this version of him was lurking beneath the surface.

"I don't need to know him. Any _guy_ that moves in on another _man's_ woman, isn't worth knowing," Mark seethed.

Gillian was taken back by the controlling edge in his voice and shook her head while saying, "I've always been his."

The pace of Cal's heart quickened at her words, his eyes turning to look at her.

Mark looked at her with disbelief and turned his head to look at Cal, who raised his eyebrows and cocked his head in a cocky, confident manner, never mind the butterflies in his stomach.

Mark stormed toward Cal, and Gillian instantly glued herself to his left side, wrapping her arms around him and covering his cracked ribs while turning her face away to look over his shoulder. It was evident Mark was intent on inflicting pain as he got in Cal's face, and pointed a finger at him while saying, "You're just lucky she's here. Your ass is mine if I ever see you again. I'll make the other side of your face match," he said, referring to the bruise. He shook his head and walked back to his car, shouting, "I can't believe I wasted my time on you! You're obviously a whore, and you're not even that hot!"

Cal pried himself from Gillian's grip, intent on causing some more pain, and strode toward Mark who was now swiftly climbing in his car. Cal was quickly finding the prick was a coward, and he hoped he ran into him again when Gillian wasn't around. Mark peeled out down the street just as Cal approached the car, and he casually walked back to where Gillian was standing.

"Thank you for behaving, mostly," she told him as he approached, Mark's words affecting her more than she'd have liked.

Cal raised a hand and gently brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and said, "Don't listen to anythin' he said. I mean, really – not that hot? He must be blind," he said, dragging his eyes down her body, muttering, "Sexy as hell is more like it," as his eyes wandered back up to her face.

Gillian gave him a small smile, and it grew as he slid his hands around her hips, pulling her into him.

"Now – you've always been mine?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips.

She pulled him closer still, put a hand on his chest, looked in his eyes and said, "I don't remember when I fell in love with you."

Cal looked at her lovingly, but was pulled from his revere when his phone rang.

"Bloody hell," he complained loudly. "Can't we have one moment?"

He pulled the phone from his pocket and said, "It's Em."

Gillian nodded at him and waited for him to finish his conversation, never letting go of him.

"Hi, Em. Everythin's fine love." He paused for a moment, laughed, and said, "Well, one step at a time then, you think? Alright darlin'."

He hung up his phone, still smiling at Emily's question.

"What's so funny?" Gillian asked.

Cal looked up at her and said, "Em wants to know if she's gettin' a step-mum for her birthday."

Gillian's eye went wide. "Wow. I've hardly ended things with someone who turned out to be a complete jerk and your daughter is trying to marry us off? That has to be some kind of record!"

The two were smiling at each other when Gillian heard something. "I think that was my phone again," she said, walking to her front door.

Following her inside, Cal replied, "It better not be–"

"It's Emily," she cut him off, and then she laughed.

"What?" Cal asked, glad it wasn't the prick calling.

Still laughing, she handed him the phone.

_From: Emily Lightman_

_Did dad really tell u he luvs u? I hope so cuz if he didn't I guess I just told u for him. Let me know!_

Cal shook his head with a smile as he handed the device back to Gillian and said, "That's my girl."

Gillian quickly typed out a message to Emily and sent it:

_Yes, he did. : )_

A moment later, as if Emily was just sitting there staring at her phone while waiting for a response, she replied back to Gillian with a smiley face.

Smiling back at the virtual grin Emily had sent, Gillian sat her phone down and returned her attention to Cal.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

He took a moment to assess the pain in his ribs, then reached in his pocket and pulled out the bottle of pain pills. Rattling it at her, indicating it was bad enough that he was caving in again, he popped the top open and tipped a pill onto his palm.

"I'll get you some water," she said quietly, walking toward the kitchen. She then called over her shoulder, "That's what happens when you get in a fist fight when you're already hurt."

Cal smiled at her, watching her grab a glass from the cupboard before getting a pitcher of water from the fridge.

"First off, it wasn't much of a fight. It was more of a light ass kickin'. Second, you couldn't really have expected me to not do anythin'. Not with what he'd said," Cal defended himself.

Handing him the glass she said, "No, I didn't expect that. I just hoped you wouldn't get hurt anymore."

"I didn't get hurt anymore. My previous injury just hurts worse," he told her, swallowing down a pill and setting the glass back on the counter.

She shook her head at him, hardly believing how stubborn he could be. She placed her hand on his arm, and saw he was already looking back at her. Smiling at him, she felt her heart thumping in her chest. Cal tilted his head as he looked her over, sensing some anxiety rising within her. He smiled gently at her, and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her in a loving embrace. She held him tightly for a moment before pulling back and resting her forehead against his, her eyes closed and biting her bottom lip, like she was trying to soak up the moment before it ended.

Pulling herself together, she lifted her head and opened her eyes which were met with his.

"I love you so much I can hardly stand it," she told him, barely above a whisper. She felt like her heart was going to open up and swallow the rest of her from the feelings swirling around inside her. Then she quickly added, "I've never loved anyone like this. And I've never hid it for so long. And I had no idea you…" she trailed off, knowing she was rambling.

"Felt the same way?" He took a guess at finishing her statement.

She nodded, swallowing down her emotion as she linked her hands behind his neck and said, "Yes. I had no idea you felt the same way."

Curiosity creeping in as she looked at him with interest, she asked, "Why did you wait to tell me until I was seeing someone?"

Cal shrugged, his arms still around her, and said, "It was bad timin' really. That wasn't at all my intent, believe me." Gillian raised an eyebrow, signaling that wasn't exactly an answer. Drawing in a breath, Cal continued, "I was worried about movin' too quickly after Claire. I didn't want to be the vulture that swooped in on a grievin' woman, you know?"

Gillian nodded and said, "I can appreciate that."

"Right, well I hadn't expected some other vulture to swoop in. So, as I said, bad timin'," he raised his eyebrows at her while running his eyes over her face.

Leaning forward, Gillian ghosted her lips across his before slightly guardedly pressing them together.

An amused, confused expression on his face, he asked, "What was that?"

She coyly said, "A kiss."

"You know what I mean," he told her with a smile at her smart-ass remark. "Why the reservation?"

She shrugged a shoulder and said, "It's just all very new and different than what we've been used to for the last seven years."

"Good though, yeah?" he asked, a little worried.

She nodded at him.

"Good. I only want you to be happy," he told her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She nodded at him again and said, "It just… It doesn't seem real."

Cal looked her over, wishing he could re-assure her, and he said, "If it wouldn't send me into a fit of pain beyond what I can handle, there'd be no doubt in your mind this is real."

Gillian blushed furiously at his words, imagining what he had in mind. She bit her lip as she looked down at the floor.

Smiling at her shyness, Cal added, "I guarantee it – you give me a couple a weeks to heal and you won't know what hit you."

"Cal!" she said with a swat on his arm.

"Alright, alright. I'll leave all talk of our love-makin' until I can– Ow!" he yelled, as she punched him in the arm. "I'm done! I'm done! I promise! I'm still healing here – quit beatin' me up!"

"Fine. But I swear if you–"

Cal silenced her with a kiss, pinning her arms at her sides as his lips melded into hers. He slid his tongue over her lips and when he felt her relax, he let go of her arms, wrapping one of his around her waist and sliding the other up to run his fingers in her hair. Gillian moaned in his mouth and suddenly wished his ribs would miraculously heal. He felt her fingertips curl into his back as he ran a hand just inside her shirt on her lower back. He broke their kiss, breathless and needing oxygen.

"You need to stop touching me like that," she warned him.

"Why?" he asked, his fingers inching higher. Her body arched toward him as he ghosted his finger tips up her spine.

"Because….a…..as you said…" she was struggling to form words as she shuddered under his touch. "As you said, your ribs are still giving you pain."

Cal leaned into her neck, dragging his lips over her skin as he murmured, "That doesn't mean I can't give you something else."

Gillian felt her body start to tingle at the thought of what Cal might be referring to. She let out a shaky breath when he reached for the waistband of her jeans.

She grabbed his hand and said, "Cal. We can wait. We _should_ wait. Until you're better."

Cal could tell by the blatant arousal painted all over her face that she didn't want to wait; but he considered her words. It would be nice to share their first time together. Still, this was a way for him to show her how real it was, how much it meant to him.

"If you want to wait, that's fine by me. If you don't, if you want this," he lowered his hand outside her jeans and pressed his fingers to her, causing her to flush anew. He smirked and said in a hushed tone, "It won't bother me. We'll still have our first time _together_ together." Pausing for a moment, he applied more pressure and whispered in her ear, "Whatever you want. Just tell me."

Gillian looked at him, slight shock written across her face. _Tell him? As in, say aloud what I want?_

"Tell me," Cal encouraged her, just above a whisper.

Gillian thought to herself, _It would definitely be easier to tell him to wait, but I really don't want to. So…what do I say?_

* * *

><p>Before you bust out the pitchforks and torches, the next chapter only needs few touch-ups so you won't be waiting a week for it. ::insert innocent look::<p> 


	12. Reassurance

A/N: I'm sorry you all had to wait so long for this update, but most of the reviews I got last chapter were in opposition to what I had written next. That left me not knowing what to do, and what you have here is a (lame & short) attempt at getting past my writer's block. Sooo… Here we go in a slightly different direction. For now. Sorry for the shortness.

Oh - and you can all thank Silvia for the last push that finally made me update!

* * *

><p><em>From Last Time:<em>

_"Tell me," Cal encouraged her, just above a whisper._

_Gillian thought to herself, It would definitely be easier to tell him to wait, but I really don't want to. So…what do I say?_

Cal leaned in and started kissing her neck, making her sigh as she tipped her head away from him so he had more room. It was only when he ran his tongue over her skin that she really decided what she wanted to do.

"Cal," she suddenly said with determination as she placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away from her. "I want to wait." She reached down and pushed his hand away from her jeans, immediately regretting her decision but knowing it would be worth the wait. If she was going to have him, she was going to have all of him.

"Alright, love. If you're sure," he said with a look of amusement, not at all convinced she didn't want to proceed.

Pulling herself together, she said with forced confidence, "I am." Then, after exchanging knowing looks with Cal, she added, "We should get you home. I'm sure Emily will want to see you," _and though you'll protest, you need to rest some more. Especially after your confrontation with Mark, and Emily will help me with that._ She gave him a smile.

"What's that then?" he asked, circling his finger at her face. "Your wheels are turnin' up there. What are you thinkin'?"

She bit her lip while smiling at him, refusing to answer.

He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment before saying, "No matter. Em will probably want to see you too. Drive me home?"

"Sure," she replied with a smile, gently placing her hand on his chest before grabbing her purse and leading them to the car.

###

After pulling into Cal's driveway, Gillian came around the side of the car where Cal was struggling to stand. She crouched down and put an arm around his middle, pulling him to stand as he took in a sharp breath, holding it for a moment before slowly letting it back out through barely parted lips.

"Come on," she said, leading him inside and back over to the couch. "This is where you should have been the whole day!"

"You know you're glad I came over," he said with a grunt as he gently flopped on the couch again. "You'd be stuck gettin' cozy with the biggest wanker in DC if I hadn't."

"He didn't turn out to be as great as I'd thought," she admitted, sitting sideways on the edge of the couch next to him.

He brought a hand to her face, running his finger tips down her cheek before putting his fingers under her chin and running his thumb over her bottom lip.

"You deserve better than him," he told her quietly.

Turning to him, she smiled and laid her arm across his stomach.

"You deserve better than me too, but that's completely beside the point," he quipped.

She laughed at him and said, "I think you're perfect for me."

She was leaning down to kiss him when she heard the door and sat up straight again, earning a pout from Cal. She gave him a small smile, knowing he was disappointed but not feeling comfortable enough to be kissing him in front of his daughter.

She gently laid her hand over the bruise on his face and said, "I wonder when this will start to fade."

"I quite like it. Gives me a bad boy look," he said while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Gross, Dad!" Emily said, appearing in the doorway with a look of disgust. "Keep your bedroom talk to the bedroom. Please!"

Cal leaned up slightly to look around Gillian, saying, "Bedroom talk? I hardly think that qualifies."

Gillian swatted him on the arm before turning toward Emily with a sympathetic smile.

"Ow! Injured man! Watch where you swing your limbs about, will you?" Cal complained loudly.

"Pipe down, old man," Emily told him. Then, scampering toward Gillian who was now standing, she threw her arms around her saying, "I'm so happy he finally told you!"

Returning Emily's hug, Gillian said, "Me too."

Emily released her while saying, "I'm pretty sure he's been pining after you for years."

"Pinin', Em? I do not pine," Cal defended himself.

"Definitely not," Gillian agreed. "You get jealous and throw tantrums instead. Much more grown up than pining."

"That does sound more like him," Emily said teasingly.

"Bloody hell," Cal complained, looking between the two females. "Attacked from all sides! I'm glad I've got my back to the couch."

Emily smirked at him before more seriously asking, "How are you feeling, Dad?"

"I'm sore, but I'll be alright, love. Nothin' to worry 'bout," he told her with a genuine smile so sweet that it melted Gillian's heart.

Smiling back at him, Emily said, "Good. I'll go start dinner."

"I'll help," Gillian offered. Turning to Cal with a point of her finger, she added, "You – stay put and rest."

"I've got no where to go now. Both my girls are already here," he told her, a look of love in his eyes.

She smiled at him and followed Emily into the kitchen.

"He means that, you know?" Emily asked, wondering if Gillian understood just how important she was to her dad. "He was heart-broken when he found out you had a boyfriend. Or have…a boyfriend?" she asked, wanting clarification.

"Had," Gillian told her, taking a seat at the island. Emily had gotten out the ingredients for spaghetti and Gillian knew they'd be waiting for the water to boil.

"Oh?" Emily asked, intrigued that things had changed so much in a day.

Giving her a knowing look, Gillian said, "Mark showed up at my place while your dad was there, and I ended it." She didn't think Emily needed to know everything, so she skated over the details.

"Mmhm," the teen said, not at all convinced it was that easy. "So, dad just hung back and let you break up with the guy? I don't buy that for a second. Knowing him he probably punched the guy right in the nose the second he tried to touch you."

Seeing the shock on Gillian's face, Emily said, "No way! He punched the guy? Go, Dad!"

"Oi! What are you talkin' 'bout?" Cal called from the other room.

Gillian quickly walked over to the den and said, "Nothing. It's nothing."

"Nothing?" Emily squealed from over her shoulder.

Gillian gave Cal an apologetic look, not knowing how much he wanted his daughter to know.

"You punched a guy to get Gillian and it's nothing?" she questioned, her voice taking on a higher pitch than usual.

Propping himself up with much effort, Cal said, "I did not punch the guy to get her. I already had her at that point. I punched him because he was an arse."

"What did he do?" Emily asked, now feeling concerned for Gillian.

Hearing the worry in her voice, Gillian laid a hand on her arm and told her, "He just said some things that weren't very nice. Your dad shut him up though."

"Damn right, I did," Cal said seriously, lying back down again.

"I'll go check the water," Emily quietly said, seeing the way the two were looking at each other.

"Come back over here," Cal gently requested of Gillian. She had that look in her eyes again, the one that told him she was thinking over what Mark had said about her. He patted the edge of the couch next to him, and she lowered herself on the few inches of couch available, smiling when Cal pulled her into him. She placed her arm on the far side of him near the back of the couch to prop herself up. She found herself inches from him and she couldn't help but smile even wider.

"You listen to me," he told her in a hushed tone, wiping the smile from her face as his eyes looked deep into hers. "I want you to forget about what that prick said. Anyone that gets time with you is lucky, and their life is better for it. If anyone has wasted their time it was you who wasted your time on him. You're loyal, dedicated, and caring." He paused, seeing tears rise in her eyes then added, "And I mean _really_, Gil – the guy needs to get his eyes checked! Not hot?" He shook his head, looking down her body again, "You really are the sexiest thing I've laid eyes on, and I can't wait to see what's under those clothes…"

"Cal!" Gillian yelled in a hushed tone with a chuckle and a slap of his arm.

"It's true. I've been curious for years and I'm about ready to–"

"Dinner will be ready in five minutes," Emily said, interrupting a statement that Gillian was sure was about to make her blush.

"I'll get the plates out!" Gillian said, happy for an escape from the conversation that was quickly turning dirty.

Cal grabbed her hand before she could leave. She looked back at him and he said, "You forget what he said, and remember my words."

She nodded at him and started walking away when he called her once more. She turned to look at him again, one hand on the doorway.

"I love you, Gillian."

Slowly walking back toward him, she bent down and placed a quick kiss on his lips, then whispered in his ear, "I love you too."

* * *

><p>I refuse to make any guesses about when my next update will be since I failed miserably this time. I will, however, say that I am not abandoning this story. So stick with me!<p> 


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